Russia Pounds Eastern and Central Ukraine, Killing Nova Poshta Staff and Damaging Energy Infrastructure

Russian forces carried out a large-scale combined missile and drone attack across several regions of Ukraine on the night of January 12–13, with Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts among the hardest hit, while emergency power outages were introduced in Kyiv and parts of Kyiv Oblast.

Deadly strike on Kharkiv outskirts
On the outskirts of Kharkiv, the attack resulted in four civilian deaths and six people injured, according to the head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov. The injured sustained wounds of varying severity. Prosecutors said Russian forces used a so-called “double-tap” tactic, first striking with ballistic missiles and then launching drones at the same location.

Rescue teams worked through the night to clear debris and pull people from the rubble. Footage released by the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office showed extensive destruction at a Nova Poshta logistics terminal, with parts of the structure collapsed and trucks burned out by fire. Emergency services remain at the site.

Nova Poshta later confirmed that four of its employees were killed in the strike: two workers from a sorting centre and two drivers employed by a partner delivery company. Four other employees were wounded, including three sorting centre staff and one driver. All injured are hospitalised and under medical supervision, with no immediate danger to their lives. The company said it is in constant contact with the families of those killed and will provide full support, adding that customers whose parcels were destroyed will be compensated.

Earlier reports had indicated a lower death toll of two killed and three wounded before the figures were updated.

Drone hits children’s medical facility in Kharkiv
Separately, a Russian Shahed drone struck a children’s sanatorium in Kharkiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, triggering a fire. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said information about the extent of the damage and possible casualties is still being clarified.

Kharkiv, located roughly 30 kilometres from the Russian border and the nearest front line, has faced sustained attacks throughout the war, frequently resulting in civilian casualties and serious damage to infrastructure.

Attacks across Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was also targeted by missiles and drones overnight. According to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha, Kryvyi Rih came under drone attack in the evening, followed by a large-scale strike on the Zelenodolsk hromada. Fires broke out, infrastructure facilities were destroyed, and two houses and a gas pipeline were damaged. A 69-year-old woman was injured and hospitalised in moderate condition.

In the Synelnykove district, drones hit the Vasylkivka hromada, wounding an 86-year-old man, who was also taken to hospital in moderate condition. A house caught fire, while a residential building, an outbuilding, a car, a trailer and another section of gas pipeline were damaged. Additional damage to a house was reported in the Solone hromada of the Dnipro district.

The Nikopol district was attacked with FPV drones, striking Nikopol itself as well as the Marhanets, Pokrovske and Chervonohryhorivka hromadas. A car was set ablaze, and a house and power line were damaged.

Emergency power cuts in Kyiv and region
Following the overnight strikes, emergency power outages were introduced in Kyiv and the Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast on the morning of January 13. Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said rolling blackout schedules do not apply during emergency cuts and promised to keep consumers informed of any changes.

Kyiv and its suburbs, including Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, were left without electricity and, in some areas, running water after the attack. DTEK confirmed that one of its thermal power plants was hit again, damaging equipment. This marked the eighth attack on the company’s thermal power facilities since October last year.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 18 ballistic missiles, seven cruise missiles and 293 Shahed-type drones during the assault. Energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts was also targeted.

The latest strikes came just days after another mass attack on January 9, when four people were killed and 24 injured in Kyiv, leaving large parts of the capital without electricity, heating and water amid freezing winter temperatures. As of January 12, around 800 residential buildings in Kyiv were still without power as repair crews continued restoration work. Energy experts warn that while the latest strike may not have been the largest, its impact has been among the most severe seen during the war’s winters so far.