Overview
On Jan 26, Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, striking multiple civilian sites and causing injuries, the city's mayor said.
Damage and casualties
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that apartment buildings, a school and a kindergarten in Kharkiv were hit during Monday's assault and that at least two people were injured. Separate posts on unofficial Telegram channels included images suggesting that parts of the city had been plunged into darkness following the strikes.
Reports from Kryvyi Rih
To the southeast of Kharkiv, in Kryvyi Rih - the home town of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - local authorities reported a related drone strike. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the industrial city's military administration, wrote on Telegram that drones hit a high-rise apartment building and that the impact had caused a fire. Vilkul's post gave no immediate indication of casualties.
Verification and response
These reports could not be independently verified at the time they were posted, and there was no immediate reaction from Russian officials. Information about the scope of damage, the full count of injuries or any further consequences remained limited in the immediate aftermath.
Contextual notes
Kharkiv, which lies approximately 30 km from the Russian border, has been a frequent target in recent hostilities. The incidents on Jan 26 affected civilian dwellings and educational facilities and prompted emergency responses locally. Authorities in the affected cities issued statements on Telegram describing the hits, the resulting fires in at least one location, and the early casualty figures.
What is known and what remains unclear
- Known: Apartment buildings, a school and a kindergarten in Kharkiv were struck; at least two people were reported injured.
- Known: Drone strikes in Kryvyi Rih struck a high-rise apartment building and triggered a fire, according to local military administration posts.
- Unclear: Full casualty totals and complete verification of damage levels, due to the inability to independently confirm initial reports and the lack of an immediate response from Russian officials.
Summary of immediate developments
Monday's attacks produced reported damage to civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih, prompted images circulating of power outages in Kharkiv, and resulted in at least two reported injuries. Local officials communicated the incidents through Telegram messages; independent corroboration of the full scale of the strikes was not available at the time.