Russia launches air attack on Ukraine's Kyiv, Kharkiv; ‘stay in shelters’ warning issued

The latest strikes came after a visit by national security advisers from Europe to Kyiv, where they discussed security guarantees and economic support.

Updated on: Jan 5, 2026, 08:39:47 IST

By HT News Desk

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A civlian was killed after Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Monday, Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration said. A raid alert was also issued in Kharkiv, according to the latest raid alert map of Ukraine.

Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (REUTERS)

“Air defence forces are operating in the capital. Stay in shelters!” Kyiv mayor mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a message earlier on the Telegram app.

Unverified visuals on social media captured the activation of the air defence forces.

Earlier on Friday, five people were killed in a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv and two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes in Russian border regions, local officials said on Sunday.

Russia claims Ukraine fired drones every day in 2026

Notably, Ukraine has fired drones towards Moscow every day so far in 2026, according to figures released by Russia’s defence ministry.

The ministry said on Telegram that by midnight on Sunday, Russian air defence systems had shot down 57 drones over the Moscow region, out of a total of 437 intercepted across Russia.

Ukraine has not reacted to the claim yet, though Kyiv has increasingly relied on long-range drones to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Based on calculations by RIA state news, Russia’s air defences intercepted and destroyed at least 1,548 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Crimean Peninsula during the past week.

Ukraine peace talks

The latest strikes came after a visit by national security advisers from Europe and other allies to Kyiv on Saturday, where they discussed security guarantees and economic support, as a US-led diplomatic effort to bring the war in Ukraine to an end gathers pace.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is preparing to travel to Paris for talks with allies, said on Saturday that work on the peace proposals could now move faster, as Kyiv has shared all documents under discussion with the 18 national security advisers, including those related to security guarantees.

With inputs from agencies

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HT News Desk
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