Russian forces launched missile and guided bomb attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Uman on December 26, 2025, killing at least two civilians and injuring 14 others, including children, amid ongoing assaults on civilian areas.
Local authorities in Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions reported that Russian strikes targeted a busy highway in Kharkiv and residential areas in Uman, resulting in two deaths and injuries to 14 people, with no military facilities at the impacted sites, as emergency services responded to fires, damaged homes and ongoing assessments of destruction.
Strikes Hit Civilian Infrastructure in Kharkiv
Russian forces attacked the Kharkiv community with three guided aerial bombs, known as KABs, on the afternoon of December 26, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. One bomb struck a central road in Kharkiv described by Mayor Ihor Terekhov as the city’s busiest highway in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where several cars caught fire with people inside and windows in nearby buildings shattered. Syniehubov stated that no military objects were present at the site, only civilian buildings, according to UNN and Glavnoe.in.ua. The attack killed two people, one at the scene and another in an ambulance, while injuring eight others, including a 9-month-old girl, with dozens of apartment buildings and private houses damaged, as detailed by Syniehubov in updates from RBC-Ukraine and Caliber.Az.
As reported by Oleh Syniehubov for Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, “The enemy launched three guided aerial bombs at the Kharkiv community. Two of them fell outside Kharkiv – we are still clarifying the locations of the hits and the consequences. Another KAB hit one of the central roads of the city. There are no military objects here – only civilian buildings.”
Background of Escalating Attacks on Ukrainian Cities
The strikes on Kharkiv and Uman followed Russia’s rejection of a Christmas truce proposed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on December 16, continuing a pattern of daily assaults on civilian targets, according to the Kyiv Independent. On Christmas Day, December 25, Russian attacks killed five civilians and injured at least 23 across regions including Kherson and Chernihiv, with strikes on a market and residential building. Overnight into December 26, additional Russian strikes targeted energy and port infrastructure in Odesa, damaging two DTEK facilities and causing power outages, as well as a railway station in Kovel and areas in Mykolaiv, per RBC-Ukraine.
Missile Attack Devastates Uman Residential Areas
In central Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast, a Russian missile struck the city of Uman closer to noon on December 26, injuring six people including two children, as reported by Governor Ihor Taburets (also referred to as Ihor Tabynets) via Ukrinform and the Kyiv Independent. Emergency services noted damage to residential infrastructure, with preliminary data indicating at least 50 houses affected and seven homes destroyed, according to Euromaidan Press and UNN. All injured received assistance, and services worked to address the destruction. Taburets stated on Telegram, as cited by Ukrinform, “Uman. Closer to noon, the enemy launched a missile strike on the city. According to emergency services, we currently have six injured. Among them are two children. Everyone is receiving the necessary assistance. There is damage to residential infrastructure. All necessary services are working.”
Emergency Response and Damage Assessment Underway
State Emergency Service units and law enforcement in Kharkiv inspected damaged buildings to locate anyone needing help, with plans to board up broken windows alongside volunteers to maintain warmth in homes, as Syniehubov outlined in reports from Glavnoe.in.ua and UNN. Traffic on Klochkovska Street was temporarily blocked for emergency operations, according to Syniehubov via Caliber.Az. In Uman, necessary services responded to the missile impact. Overall casualty figures stood at two killed and 14 injured across both locations, combining eight from Kharkiv and six from Uman, based on tallies from the Kyiv Independent and regional updates. Repairs to affected infrastructure, including energy facilities in Odesa, were expected to take time, per RBC-Ukraine.
Russian strikes on December 26 targeted Kharkiv’s civilian highway and Uman residences, killing two and injuring 14 including children, with extensive damage to homes and vehicles reported by Ukrainian authorities.
