Casualties reported as Russia strikes multiple Ukrainian regions
Russian forces carried out overnight missile and drone attacks on several Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv and surrounding areas, local authorities said on Jan. 28.
The strikes killed and injured civilians in multiple cities, triggered power outages, and damaged a monastery in Odesa, News.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 146 drones during the attack. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 103 drones, while at least 36 drones and the missile struck 22 locations across the country.
Explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital at around 1:26 a.m. local time, according to journalists from the Kyiv Independent on the ground. Local officials said air defense systems were activated to counter incoming Russian drones.
Kyiv Oblast Governor Mykola Kalashnyk reported that two people—a man and a woman—were killed in the Bilohorodka community on the outskirts of the capital. Several other residents received medical assistance at the scene but did not require hospitalization.
Hromadske reported that one of the victims was a mother who was at home with her 4-year-old child when their apartment was struck. The second victim was her partner. At the time of the attack, both adults were on the second floor of the apartment, while the child was on the first floor. Both adults were killed by a direct hit.
The child was carried out of the burning building by Radio Liberty war correspondent Marian Kushnir, according to Ukrainian TV channel 1+1. Kushnir said he rushed to help after hearing the explosion and used a medical tactical backpack he keeps at home.
“In the chaos, I saw a door that was slightly open. There was a child on the bed in the apartment, crying and screaming ‘Mama,’” Kushnir said. He added that the fire spread rapidly, and when he returned after rescuing the child, the stairway was already engulfed in flames.
The child is now staying with his father and older brother, Hromadske reported.
In Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, falling drone debris damaged windows in a residential building and sparked a fire on the roof of a high-rise building.
Later in the night, the Air Force warned of missiles approaching several cities, including Kryvyi Rih and Mykolaiv. Drones were also reported moving toward Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
In Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces carried out two strikes on residential areas, injuring at least six people, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Fourteen apartment buildings and about 20 vehicles were damaged. The injured suffered shrapnel wounds and concussions. One person was hospitalized, while the others are receiving treatment at home.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, said a ballistic missile strike injured two civilians—a 51-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man. He added that an infrastructure facility was hit but did not provide further details.
In Odesa, another Russian strike overnight on Jan. 28 injured three men aged 21, 67, and 80, according to Serhii Lysak, head of the city’s military administration. The attack came on a day of mourning for victims of a Russian strike the previous day.
The 21-year-old man was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, while the other two suffered traumatic brain injuries and declined hospitalization.
The attack also damaged the Holy Dormition Monastery in Odesa, the Odesa Diocese said. Russian drones struck the monastery grounds three times, knocking out windows and doors and damaging several buildings, including the cathedral church dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring,” as well as a greenhouse.
By Nijat Babayev
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