Kyiv/Moscow | The Russia-Ukraine conflict showed no signs of easing in the new year as a Russian aerial attack struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, killing a patient admitted to a private medical clinic, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Monday.
According to local authorities, overnight airstrikes targeted Kyiv and surrounding areas, causing damage to civilian infrastructure, including a medical facility located in the city’s northern Obolonskyi district. The clinic’s general director stated that the blast shattered windows, set patient rooms ablaze, and left debris scattered throughout the building. Despite emergency response efforts, one patient lost their life.
Ukraine’s emergency services reported that firefighters managed to control the blaze at the medical center and later recovered a body from inside the damaged structure. Medical staff and rescue workers were seen clearing debris from the site in the aftermath of the attack.
Officials said the overnight bombardment resulted in at least two civilian deaths. In addition to the clinic fatality, another civilian was killed in the Fastiv district, southwest of Kyiv, after residential areas were hit. Several homes and essential facilities sustained damage across multiple towns and villages in the Kyiv region.
Authorities noted that these were among the first reported civilian deaths in Kyiv linked to Russian attacks in 2026, highlighting the continued vulnerability of urban areas even as the new year begins.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over separate drone strikes during New Year celebrations. Russian-installed officials in southern Ukraine alleged that Ukrainian drones targeted a hotel and café in the Kherson region, resulting in significant casualties. Kyiv has not issued an official response to those claims.
As the conflict enters another year, civilian infrastructure and non-combatants continue to bear the brunt of ongoing hostilities, raising renewed concerns among the international community over humanitarian and security conditions in the region.
