Russia's Large-Scale Assault on Ukraine, January 28, 2026
In the early hours of January 28, 2026, Russia launched a major attack against Ukraine, employing a ballistic missile and 146 attack drones. Ukrainian air defense forces managed to intercept 103 of the unmanned aerial vehicles. However, strikes were recorded at 22 locations nationwide, including in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Dnipro. The assault resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, alongside significant damage to infrastructure and residential buildings. This attack is part of a prolonged pattern of aerial bombardment targeting Ukrainian cities and energy systems.
Key Details of the Attack
Key details of the assault indicate that an 'Iskander-M' ballistic missile was launched from Russia's Rostov region. The drones, which included models like the Shahed, 'Gerbera', and 'Italmas', were launched from Kursk, Oryol, and occupied Crimea. In Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district, one drone struck the side of a 17-story residential building, though no casualties were reported at that specific site.
In the Bilohorodka community of the Kyiv region, however, a 'Geran-2' drone caused a fire in a seventh-floor apartment, where the bodies of a man and a woman were later discovered. Four people were injured, including a woman and two children suffering from shock, and a man who suffered smoke inhalation. The fire, which covered 600 square meters, was extinguished by 05:15.
- In Zaporizhzhia, strikes hit the courtyard of an apartment block twice, damaging over 100 apartments, approximately 20 vehicles, and 12 residential buildings. Four people were wounded: a 38-year-old man and three women aged 88, 65, and 55.
- In Odesa, a drone struck the grounds of the Svyato-Uspenskyi Men's Monastery, though no casualties were reported in the Odesa region. The 'Pivdennyi' port near Odesa was also targeted.
- In Dnipropetrovsk region, the Kryvyi Rih, Synelnykove, and Pavlohrad districts were attacked. The attacks killed one man in the Synelnykove district and wounded seven others: five in Synelnykove and two in Kryvyi Rih. In the Pavlohrad district, a strike hit an agricultural enterprise, but no casualties were reported there.
The attack also targeted energy infrastructure, leading to power outages for consumers in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Separately, adverse weather conditions caused outages in 730 settlements across 11 regions, including Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv. As of 9:30 AM on January 28, the national electricity consumption level was 2.3% lower than the previous day.
This assault ranks among the largest in recent months, highlighting the continuation of Russia's aggressive tactics against Ukraine.
It also underscores the critical role of Ukrainian air defense, which continues to counter numerous aerial threats. The consequences of the attack are likely to have a severe impact not only on security but also on the humanitarian situation in the affected regions, as many people have been left homeless and without power.