Russia has unleashed its most intense aerial bombardment of Ukraine so far this year, killing at least four people in a major overnight assault targeting the country's two largest cities. The attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv came just hours after Moscow faced widespread condemnation at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting for its use of a dangerous hypersonic missile.
Intense Barrage on Capital and Second City
Ukrainian officials confirmed that the capital, Kyiv, suffered a short but powerful onslaught from Russian missiles overnight. Head of Kyiv’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, described the attack, while Reuters witnesses reported hearing explosions in the city. The northeastern city of Kharkiv, located just 30 kilometres from the Russian border, bore the brunt of the casualties.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov stated that four people lost their lives and at least six others were injured in strikes on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Telegram channels monitoring the conflict suggested that as many as 20 ballistic missiles were launched within the space of an hour, marking what they described as the most sustained strike on Ukraine in 2026 to date.
UN Condemnation Precedes Escalation
This major assault followed an emergency UN Security Council session where Russia was roundly criticised for firing its Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile at a target near Lviv, a strike that occurred perilously close—just 50 miles—from the border with NATO member Poland. The UK and US led the condemnation, labelling the move a "dangerous and inexplicable escalation" of the nearly four-year-long conflict.
Acting British ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy, stating he "claims to want peace and yet his actions tell a different story." Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, responded with a threat, warning that conditions for negotiations would worsen for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unless he accepted Moscow's terms.
Broader Context of Escalating Violence
The overnight bombardment coincides with a grim report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, which found that 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since 2022. The mission verified 2,514 civilian deaths and 12,142 injuries last year, a 31% increase from 2024, attributing the rise to intensified hostilities and expanded Russian use of long-range weapons.
In a separate, disturbing development, a Ukrainian official accused Russian forces of using African citizens as "meat for the meat grinder," alleging that mercenaries were being used as human bombs. Ukraine's ambassador to South Africa, Olexander Scherba, claimed the scandal showed Russia "looks at Africa through imperial eyes."
Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its own strikes against Russian military targets, with officials reporting an air attack on the city of Taganrog in the Rostov region, which hosts several strategic facilities. The attack follows previous successful Ukrainian strikes on the Taganrog Aircraft Repair Plant and a drone manufacturing facility.
The war's geopolitical ramifications continued to widen, with a senior Russian official, Dmitry Medvedev, provocatively suggesting that Greenland could vote to join Russia if US President Donald Trump did not act to secure the Arctic island, reviving a long-standing point of strategic contention.
