The first week of the new year for Ukrainians passed under the sound of air-raid sirens, the buzzing of “Shaheds,” and explosions. Massive attacks on Zaporizhzhia, shelling of Bila Tserkva and Volyn, terror in Chernihiv region and Kherson — Russian strikes covered all regions during the holiday week.
The most destructive and deadly were the enemy’s attacks on Odesa and Kharkiv. In Odesa on New Year’s night, three children sustained moderate injuries. The next day in Kharkiv, a three-year-old child was killed under the rubble of a building, and another infant suffered stress. The consequences of Russian attacks on Kharkiv and Odesa were captured in photo reports by Mykyta Kuznetsov and Oleksandr Himanov.
Chronicle of Russian shelling from December 29, 2025 to January 4, 2026
December 29 Russians carried out airstrikes on Sloviansk; more than two dozen residential buildings, shops, and enterprises were damaged; rescuers freed one person from under the rubble. They also struck Sumy district with guided bombs; one person was hospitalized. Two civilians were injured in Dnipropetrovsk region. In Kherson region, two people were killed and two were injured, including a child.
December 30 the enemy attacked Zaporizhzhia; destruction and a fire occurred at an industrial facility. The blast wave damaged multi-storey and private houses near the strike site. One woman was hospitalized in moderate condition. In Chernihiv region, energy facilities were damaged in two districts, leaving a significant share of consumers without power. In the border area, an administrative building was damaged and a man who was delivering bread was injured. Significant outages were also recorded in Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Late in the evening, Russians launched strike drones at residential development in Kramatorsk — houses were damaged, and one woman was injured. There were civilian casualties in Dnipropetrovsk region as well.
On the night of December 31, the Russian army attacked Bila Tserkva in Kyiv region. Residential buildings were damaged; one man was injured by shrapnel, and another woman had an acute stress reaction. Two people were injured overnight in Dnipropetrovsk region; they were hospitalized in moderate condition; four more are receiving outpatient treatment. In Zaporizhzhia, as a result of Russian strikes, a multi-storey building and a private household were damaged, fires broke out, and one person was injured. In Kherson region, a communal enterprise worker was killed after a Russian drone attack on a civilian car.
On New Year’s night from December 31 into January 1, 2026, Russians launched 205 strike UAVs at Ukraine. Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions were under attack. Russians targeted critical infrastructure. Volyn was under fire all night; there were hits and fires at critical infrastructure facilities. More than 103,000 subscribers in the region were left without power. In Kovel, railway infrastructure was targeted and a locomotive depot was damaged. Freight cars at a station in Konotop, Sumy region, also came under shelling. In Zaporizhzhia, five people were injured due to Russian shelling, including a teenager. The shockwave damaged multi-storey buildings. A total of nine people were injured in the region. In the morning, Russians struck a multi-storey residential building in Kherson with a strike drone; an elderly woman was hospitalized in moderate condition, and another person was killed in the city on the first day of the new year.
On the night of January 2, Russians carried out a massive strike on Zaporizhzhia with strike UAVs. The attack came in several waves; in total the Russian army carried out at least nine strikes on the city. About a dozen buildings were damaged, a shopping mall was hit, and fires broke out. The Ministry of Energy reported shelling of energy facilities in Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regions and power outages for consumers, including in the city of Zaporizhzhia. In Kherson, a heat generation facility was attacked in the morning. Also in the city, two people were killed over the day and one was injured; retail stalls were destroyed. In Dnipropetrovsk region, Russians attacked Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih; overall, two people were injured in the region. In Chernihiv region, the city hospital in border Semenivka came under “Geran” strikes. The canteen was damaged; three service vehicles, outbuildings, a garage, and utility premises were destroyed. A forestry unit was also attacked in the region. Fires raged everywhere.
January 3 the enemy attacked Sumy region; a large-scale fire broke out in non-residential buildings with civilian vehicles. In Chernihiv region, Russian drones attacked a farm; cattle were harmed. A multi-storey building, outbuildings, vehicles, and other property were also damaged in the region. In Kherson, Russians shelled residential neighborhoods — two people were killed. During the day, Russians struck the city of Zolotonosha in Cherkasy region with a missile; residential infrastructure was damaged and five people were injured. The enemy shelled Dnipropetrovsk region; an educational institution burned. In Dnipro, an enterprise was damaged. Throughout the day, Kramatorsk was under UAV attack — three hits were recorded on residential multi-storey buildings; one woman was injured.
January 4 Russians struck Konotop district in Sumy region; while rescuers were surveying the area, the enemy carried out a repeated strike. Emergency responders managed to react and move to a safe place. In Chernihiv region, 62 explosions were recorded over the day in the north and south of the region. Strikes hit an agricultural enterprise and buildings of a non-operational farm and school. In Kherson, an enemy drone attacked a gas station; a gas module and a vehicle caught fire. Over the week in Donetsk region, 10 people were killed and 17 were injured as a result of Russian aggression.
New Year holidays in Odesa
On the morning of December 30, Russians carried out a massive strike on the industrial and port infrastructure of Odesa region with strike drones. As Vice Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine — Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba reported, facilities in the ports “Pivdennyi” and “Chornomorsk” were damaged. A civilian vessel with grain and empty tanks for storing oil were damaged. There was one injured person.
On the night of December 31, Russia carried out a massive strike on the residential, logistics, and energy infrastructure of Odesa region with strike UAVs. In Odesa itself, direct hits and falling debris of enemy weapons were recorded. Facades and glazing of four multi-storey buildings were damaged; in one of the buildings, apartments from the second to the sixth floor caught fire. Private garages were also damaged; cars burned, and more than 14 cars were damaged. Two families were affected: six people, including three children aged from seven months to 14 years. Five people were hospitalized: one adult in serious condition, the rest, including the children, in moderate condition.
At night, Russians attacked two energy facilities of DTEK. Overall, over the last month of the year, Russian attacks damaged 10 substations in Odesa and the region; over the year — 25 energy facilities in the region, the company reported.
Local documentarian Oleksandr Himanov, who worked at the locations of the Russian attack, shared his impressions:
Another terrorist shelling of residential neighborhoods. Among the injured are three children; the youngest is only 7 months old. On the eve of the New Year…
“Ekonomichna Pravda” reported that as a result of debris falling on the territory of the Nova Poshta sorting terminal’s vehicle yard, more than 100 parcels worth ₴2.3 million burned. Employees of the company were not injured.
On New Year’s night, Russians attacked Odesa with strike drones in several waves. They again targeted energy facilities; hits on residential infrastructure were also recorded. A two-storey house and a high-rise building were damaged — there was a hit on an apartment on the 17th floor. The city recorded disruptions in electricity supply for critical infrastructure. Constant air-raid alerts hampered the work of emergency responders.
Those killed under the rubble in Kharkiv
In Kharkiv region, civilians suffered daily from Russian shelling throughout the week. On New Year’s night, one person was killed. On the morning of January 1, Russians struck the territory of an eco-park in the suburbs of Kharkiv with a guided aerial bomb. As a result of the airstrike, one woman was hospitalized with blast injuries; lions were wounded, many rare birds were killed, and winter shelters for animals and birds were destroyed. The Ukrainian online outlet “UP.Zhyttia” reported this.
On December 2 in the afternoon, Russians carried out a missile strike on a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district. As the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported, Russians used two Iskander ballistic missiles. A five-storey commercial-and-office building and part of the entrance of a nearby four-storey residential building were destroyed. The six buildings located closest to the epicenter were damaged the most. In total, more than 30 buildings, a hospital, a supermarket, shops, cafés, an educational institution, and cars were damaged. The total fire area was about 200 sq m.
As a result of the missile strike in Kharkiv, five people were killed, including a 22-year-old woman and her three-year-old son. During the search-and-rescue operation, rescuers first pulled the child’s body from under the rubble, and then the mother’s body. Later, rescuers found fragments of the bodies of three more people. Overall, about 30 people were injured in the strike; seven remain in hospitals, and one woman is in serious condition. A six-month-old infant suffered severe stress.
Twelve people were rescued; the search-and-rescue operation is still ongoing. More than 300 people and more than 80 units of equipment are working at the sites.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported how much weaponry the enemy used against Ukraine during the week of the New Year holidays: “Almost every day — a threat to life in Ukraine due to Russian attacks, strikes with various types of weapons against our people. And this week Russia dropped more than 1,070 guided aerial bombs, launched almost a thousand strike drones, and fired six missiles at Ukraine.”
Worked on the material:
Topic researcher, text author: Yana Yevmenova
Photo editor: Olga Kovalova
Literary editor: Yuliia Futei
