Russia unleashes largest aerial offensive of 2026, killing four in Ukraine

Tuesday 13 January 2026 - 13:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Russia unleashes largest aerial offensive of 2026, killing four in Ukraine

Russian forces launched their most intense aerial bombardment of 2026 overnight from January 12 to 13, unleashing nearly 300 drones and 25 missiles across eight Ukrainian regions. The assault killed four people at a postal facility in Kharkiv and left hundreds of thousands without power during freezing winter conditions. This barrage followed hours after the United States condemned Moscow's use of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week as a dangerous and inexplicable escalation during a UN Security Council emergency session.

The deadliest strike hit a Nova Poshta terminal on Kharkiv's outskirts, Ukraine's second-largest city, claiming four employees including two sorters and two drivers from a partner firm while injuring six others. Regional prosecutors reported a double-tap tactic: missiles first, then drones, as rescuers pulled 30 survivors from rubble amid fires engulfing 500 square meters. Andriy Pidnebesny, a surviving postal official, told AFP the constant threat haunts workers, recounting failed attempts to free trapped colleagues: "You go out shopping and can get killed."

A long-range Russian drone also targeted a children's medical facility in Kharkiv, sparking a blaze with no reported casualties. DTEK, Ukraine's main energy provider, confirmed strikes on one of its thermal plants the eighth major hit since October 2025 and over 220 since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Emergency blackouts plunged Kyiv and surrounding areas into darkness, with President Volodymyr Zelensky noting hundreds of thousands of households affected as daytime temperatures dipped to minus 12 Celsius, streets icing over amid generator reliance.

The nocturnal onslaught capped a UN Security Council emergency meeting where U.S. Deputy Ambassador Tammy Bruce accused Russia of escalation amid Trump administration peace talks. Britain’s James Kariuki called the Oreshnik fired near Poland’s border in Lviv region "universally condemnable," adding Vladimir Putin’s peace claims clash with his actions. Ukraine struck back, hitting a Taganrog drone factory in Russia’s Rostov region that supplies components for civilian-targeting strikes.