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What the January 2026 strikes showed about Ukraine's cities
Summary
A look back at the Russian attacks reported across Ukraine in the days before 22 January 2026.
What did the days leading up to 22 January 2026 show about the threat facing Ukrainian cities? The reports from just before that date point to a steady pattern of attacks reaching many regions at once.
On 18 January, Russian drone strikes hit cities across the country, including Dnipro, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. At least two people were killed and dozens were injured. The geography was wide: the strikes covered the east, the south and the west of the country in one night of attacks.
On 19 January, a glide bomb attack on Kharkiv, in Kharkiv Oblast, killed a woman and injured 11 other people. Kharkiv had already been among the cities hit the previous day, so it was struck on consecutive days.
Taken together, the two reports show attacks using different weapons, drones and glide bombs, falling on civilians in several oblasts within 48 hours. The casualty figures were reported as at least two dead and dozens injured on 18 January, and one dead and 11 injured in Kharkiv on 19 January.
