One person was killed and at least four others were injured in Kyiv after Russia launched a massive combined air assault on Ukraine overnight on January 24, with the capital identified as the primary target just days after renewed peace talks involving Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the attack began at 6:00 p.m. on January 23 and continued through the night, involving an unprecedented mix of missiles and drones. In total, Ukrainian radar systems recorded 396 enemy air attack vehicles launched against the country. These included two 3M22 Tsirkon anti-ship missiles fired from occupied Crimea, twelve Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles launched from Russian strategic aviation operating over the Bryansk region, six Iskander-M/S-300 ballistic missiles fired from the Bryansk region and occupied Crimea, one Kh-59/69 guided aircraft missile launched from the Kursk region, and 375 strike UAVs — primarily Shahed-type drones — launched from multiple directions including Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Bryansk, occupied Donetsk, and other areas. Ukrainian officials noted that approximately 250 of the drones were Shaheds.
The Ukrainian Air Force emphasized that a key feature of this attack was the use of Russian strategic aviation armed with Kh-22 and Kh-32 missiles to strike Kyiv directly. Air defense systems were activated across the capital as explosions were first heard around 1:20 a.m. local time, with continued blasts reported over the next hour, including the interception of a ballistic missile. Residents were warned of an ongoing ballistic threat and urged to remain in shelters.
Russia launched a mass missile + drone strike mainly on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure (substations and power plants), with drone attacks on Kharkiv hitting homes and some industrial/energy areas overnight.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 24, 2026
Weapons: Iskander, Kh-22/32, Zircon, Kinzhal + Shahed drones.
Result:… pic.twitter.com/SFn78jWfjZ
A building was struck in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, igniting a fire and prompting Mayor Vitali Klitschko to call for immediate medical assistance. Additional damage was reported in the Desnyanski, Dniprovskyi, and Solomyanski districts. As a result of the strikes, parts of the capital were left without heating and running water amid freezing winter conditions.
Ukrainian air defenses, including aviation units, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare systems, unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups, repelled much of the assault. As of 9:00 a.m., preliminary data shows that 372 enemy targets were shot down or suppressed — including 15 missiles and 357 drones. Those intercepted included nine Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles, five Iskander-M/S-300 ballistic missiles, one Kh-59/69 guided missile, and hundreds of UAVs of various types.
Despite the high interception rate, impacts were recorded. Ukrainian officials confirmed hits by two missiles and eighteen strike UAVs at seventeen locations, along with debris from downed drones falling at twelve additional sites. Information regarding four enemy missiles remains under clarification. The Air Force warned that the attack was ongoing, with several enemy UAVs still in Ukrainian airspace.
Elsewhere in the country, Kharkiv endured a separate mass Russian attack that injured at least nineteen people and caused widespread destruction and fires across the city. Emergency services across affected regions remain fully mobilized. The State Emergency Service reported that 134 rescuers, 34 fire and rescue vehicles, along with police officers, medics, volunteers, and city utility crews are engaged in mitigating the consequences of the strikes.
The assault comes amid Ukraine’s deepening winter energy crisis and follows recent trilateral discussions aimed at exploring an end to the war. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Russia’s continued targeting of energy and civilian infrastructure — a pattern repeated every winter since 2022 — is deliberately designed to plunge cities into darkness, cold, and humanitarian distress.
As rescue operations continue and air defenses remain active, Ukrainian authorities urged citizens to follow safety instructions and respond immediately to air raid alerts. “Let’s hold the sky,” the Air Force said, vowing continued resistance as the attack unfolds.
