Tragic Missile Strike in Kharkiv: Two Lives Lost, Including Child

Mon Jan 05 2026 03:07:49 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A missile attack on a residential area in Kharkiv has left two dead, including a three-year-old child, and injured nearly 30 others. The attack has sparked strong condemnation and raised urgent concerns ahead of upcoming peace talks.

A missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a young child, and injuries to 28 others. Ukrainian President Zelensky condemned the attack, while Russia's Defense Ministry denied involvement, attributing the explosion to Ukrainian munitions. The incident precedes crucial peace talks in Kyiv, signaling escalating tensions amidst ongoing conflict.

Two people including a three-year-old child have been killed and around 28 others injured in a Russian strike on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have reported.

A multi-storey residential apartment block was almost completely destroyed in the dual missile attack on Friday afternoon, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called heinous.

Russia's Defence Ministry denied reports of an attack, suggesting the blast had been caused by Ukrainian ammunition detonating.

The strike comes ahead of crunch talks on a US-brokered peace plan in Kyiv on Saturday.

Zelensky stated that around 15 countries are expected to attend the talks, alongside representatives from the EU and NATO, with a US delegation joining via video link. Leaders of the coalition of willing nations are set to meet in France on 6 January.

Officials in Kharkiv confirmed that the bodies of a woman and the 3-year-old boy were recovered from the rubble, with preliminary information suggesting they may have been a mother and son.

Unfortunately, this is how the Russians treat life and people – they continue killing, despite all efforts by the world, and especially by the United States, in the diplomatic process, Zelensky wrote on social media.

Among the injured, which included a six-month-old baby, 16 have been hospitalized. A search and rescue operation is ongoing, with over 80 volunteers working at the scene, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.

The Russian Defence Ministry elaborated in a statement that its armed forces neither planned nor launched attacks using missile or aircraft weapons within the city of Kharkiv. They claimed that footage from prior to the attack showed heavy smoke of unknown origin, suggesting a Ukrainian ammunition detonation.

Furthermore, the ministry alleged that reports of the Kharkiv incident aimed to distract attention from a New Year's Eve strike on a hotel in a Russian-controlled area of southern Kherson.

Russia has accused Ukraine of killing at least 27 people in an attack on a New Year party in Khorly, a claim that remains unverified.

Ukraine maintains that it adheres to international humanitarian law, targeting only military objectives. As the world watches these tragic events unfold, the need for diplomatic resolutions becomes increasingly critical amidst deepening conflicts.