Russian missile strike on the center of Kharkiv: At least 5 civilians killed and 31 people injured (updated)
A child was killed and 31 people injured, including a six-month-old infant, when Russia struck central Kharkiv with two Iskander missiles on January 2, 2026, according to the city mayor, Ihor Terekhov.
“The enemy has carried out a strike on central Kharkiv… They hit a high-rise residential building in the city’s Kyivskyi District. Early reports indicate that there are casualties and substantial destruction,” the mayor stated.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration and the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine, reported that the bodies of a 22-year-old woman and a 3-year-old boy were recovered from the rubble of a residential building in the city.
As a result of the attack, 31 people were injured, including a six-month-old infant. Victims also included individuals ranging in age from 20 to 79 years old.
The majority of those injured sustained blast injuries and cuts from shattered glass, while one person is in a state of severe stress. Some of the victims have been hospitalized.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said later, citing early reports, that two missiles had been used in the attack.
“Early reports suggest two missiles were fired. Straight into a residential area. One of the buildings has been badly damaged. A rescue operation is currently underway, and all necessary services have been deployed. The exact number of casualties is not yet known,” he stated.
The Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office said, citing early reports, that Russian forces carried out the attack using two Iskander missiles. A number of residential buildings, shops, cafes, and a supermarket were damaged. The prosecutor’s office also posted video footage from the scene of the impact.
At 18:38, the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine reported that 31 people were known to have been injured, including one infant. Twelve people were rescued.
A commercial and office building was destroyed, along with part of the adjacent entrance of a four-story apartment building.
On January 4, Ihor Terekhov reported that another part of a body had been found at the scene of the Friday explosions. As a result, the number of people killed has risen to five.
As of the evening of January 6, according to Syniehubov, about 75% of the rubble at the site of the Russian strike has been cleared, and remains of bodies are still being found among the debris.
According to local authorities, six people are known to have died. Two of them have been identified – a three-year-old boy and his mother. The other four are undergoing DNA testing for identification.
The press service of the National Police of Kharkiv Oblast informed Ukrinform that, following the strikes, authorities received reports that seven people had not been in contact. This information is being verified, and the death toll could increase.
Seven injured people remain in hospitals, Anna Hontar, the spokeswoman for the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration.
The State Emergency Service, citing early reports, added that people remain trapped under the rubble.
To provide background, according to the National Police of Ukraine, Russians killed two people in the Kherson and Donetsk regions, and injured at least 14 others, including in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, as a result of Russian military shelling on January 1, 2026.
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.
Meanwhile, at least three tankers carrying Russian crude are listing the Reliance Industries Ltd. plant on India’s west coast as their next destination after the refiner resumed some purchases for domestic production, Bloomberg reports.
According to data from analytics firm Kpler, the vessels, loaded with nearly 2.2 million barrels of Urals crude, are currently signaling the massive Jamnagar complex and are expected to deliver their cargo in early January.
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.
Ukraine urges the international community to unite to restore global security under the UN Charter and strengthen sanctions against Russia to enforce compliance with international law. Following Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, Ukraine has pursued the liberation of its territories within its internationally recognized 1991 borders while developing comprehensive reintegration strategies and policies for all liberated areas.
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