Russian forces killed five people in shelling attacks across Ukraine on January 5
The National Police of Ukraine reported that as a result of shelling by the Russian military on January 5, 2026, five civilians were killed in Kyiv, and in the Kyiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, while more than ten others were injured, including in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.
The aftermath of the Russian strike on the private medical clinic in KyivThe victims of the Russian strikes the previous day were:
- A 33-year-old patient at a medical facility in Kyiv;
- A 75-year-old man, whose body was found in a shelled house in the Fastiv District of the Kyiv Oblast.
- A 77-year-old woman from Dobropillya, the Donetsk Oblast;
- A 34-year-old excavator driver from Zaporizhzhia;
- A 64-year-old man was caught in an enemy strike at a humanitarian aid distribution point in the Kherson region.
In addition to those killed, many people also sustained injuries due to the Russian Federation’s strikes on January 5.
In Kyiv, three people were injured, but the highest number of casualties occurred in the Kherson region, where seven people were wounded. In the morning, Russian troops shelled a humanitarian aid distribution point and injured two people in the Dariivka “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements. Later, on a highway in the Beryslav District, they dropped explosives from a drone onto a pensioner.
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Four more civilians were injured in Kherson city, where Russian forces targeted a hospital and patrol officers. The daily report also included a 10-year-old girl who had been wounded on December 4 during a Russian artillery strike on the city.
In Kharkiv, a 58-year-old employee of an enterprise located near a missile impact site was injured during a Russian strike.
In the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russians launched a drone at a civilian car, resulting in injuries to a woman and a child.
A car targeted by a Russian strike in the Dnipropetrovsk regionTo provide background, on January 4, Russian military shelling killed one person in Ukraine. In total, over nearly four years, Russian military attacks have killed more than 14,500 Ukrainians.
Earlier, Bohdan Bernatskyy, a member of the Sanctions Policy Working Group of the Crimean Platform Expert Network, revealed at the Third Parliamentary Summit in Latvia that over 1,300 Russian military companies and 2 million industrial workers continue to operate, many without international restrictions.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on X that intelligence is recording growing links between Russia and entities in China that may be providing space-based intelligence, with these data being connected to Russian strikes on energy facilities in Ukraine.
Ukrainian experts point out that countries including China, North Korea, Hungary, Slovakia, Iran, and Brazil assist Moscow in killing Ukrainians in its war against Ukraine by funding the Russian budget through trade.
Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ukraine would close its embassy in Cuba and downgrade ties over Havana’s complicity in Russian aggression.
Newly appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Andriy Melnyk stated in an interview with Suspilne broadcaster that Brazil paid Russia almost $10 billion for 6.5 million tons of diesel.
Over the last three and a half years, China has become a critically important partner for the Russian Federation. While Beijing officially declares its neutrality, Western intelligence and analytical studies indicate otherwise. For instance, China does not supply weapons directly to Russia, but it provides critically important components, including machinery, microelectronics, specialized chemicals, optics, gunpowder, and ammunition components.
In 2024, then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that 70% of heavy industrial equipment and 90% of all microelectronics are sourced from China, which then flows into Russia.
Furthermore, according to recent NATO intelligence data, 80% of all Russian drones consist of Chinese parts.
According to The Telegraph newspaper, Chinese firms supplied sanctioned Russian companies with at least £47 million ($57.4 million USD) worth of parts between 2023 and 2024. Almost a quarter of the value of these supplies went to firms that produce Shahed-type drones.
Moreover, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine stated that China is also providing intelligence to Russia. The Kremlin used this data to prepare missile strikes, particularly against objects belonging to foreign investors, though the specific targets were not clarified. China denies these accusations.
Following the imposition of Western sanctions, Beijing has become a key supplier to Russia of cars, clothing, raw materials, and a range of other goods. In 2023, Russia-China trade turnover set a historic record, exceeding $240 billion, which is more than 60% higher than before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Chinese customs data.
Reuters also reported that China is buying oil and gas from Russia. The average daily volume of oil is more than two million barrels per day. During Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing, the countries signed a document for the supply of 106 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China.
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