{"id":404253,"date":"2026-01-13T07:21:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T07:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/404253\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T07:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T07:21:10","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-four-dead-after-putin-launches-major-assault-on-ukraines-two-largest-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/404253\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Four dead after Putin launches major assault on Ukraine\u2019s two largest cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>In photos: Russia launches year’s most concentrated barrage on Ukraine\"AA firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike in Odesa amid Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine (via Reuters)\"AA firefighter inspects damage at a site of a Russian drone strike in Odesa (via Reuters)<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 07:06<\/p>\n

<\/a>Britain condemns Russia’s Oreshnik missile attack on Ukraine at UN<\/p>\n

Britain’s envoy to the UN said Russia\u2019s use of hypersonic ballistic missile on Ukraine last week that killed four and injured several others should be \u201cuniversally condemned\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis hypersonic missile capable of travelling at over Mach 10, is reported to have hit a site in the region of Lviv, just 50 miles from the Polish border,\u201d ambassador James Kariuki, UK Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires to the UN, said yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch action is reckless \u2013 it threatens regional and international security, and carries significant risk of escalation and miscalculation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 06:51<\/p>\n

<\/a>UK has no plan for mobilising doctors if war breaks out, top military chief admits<\/p>\n

The UK<\/a> currently has no plan for how to mobilise doctors, nurses and hospitals<\/a> in the event of all-out war<\/a>, the UK<\/a>\u2019s top military chief has admitted, in yet another sign of Britain\u2019s unpreparedness for a possible conflict.<\/p>\n

Sir Richard also admitted there is not enough money to continue all planned military programmes on top of doing everything outlined in the strategic defence review (SDR), but became visibly irritated when MPs suggested the military may have to make cuts.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 06:41<\/p>\n

<\/a>Power cuts in Kyiv after Russian attack damages critical infrastructure<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s grid operator Ukrenergo said it was rolling out emergency power cuts in Kyiv today after critical infrastructure suffered damages in an overnight Russian attack.<\/p>\n

Ukrenergo did not share details on the scale of the damage from Russian strikes.<\/p>\n

It was not immediately clear how long the outages would last. <\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 06:35<\/p>\n

<\/a>Zelensky says negotiators will submit security guarantees to the US<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s peace negotiators will finalise a document on security guarantees with the US and submit it for review \u201cat the highest level\u201d, Volodymyr Zelensky said.<\/p>\n

Ukraine, he said, is \u201ccoordinating meeting schedules with US president Trump\u2019s representatives \u2013 our documents are largely ready for signing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Zelensky did not share more details on the guarantees document.<\/p>\n

If Russia does not agree to end its war then pressure on Moscow must be maintained in other ways, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand that the American side is in contact with Russia regarding the political framework for ending the war. We have defined our vision, and there must be clear feedback from Russia \u2013 whether they are willing to end the war on real terms,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is no such willingness, pressure on the aggressor must continue to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 06:17<\/p>\n

<\/a>Watch: Russia reports striking transportation facilities, Ukraine claims repelling attacksRussia reports striking transportation facilities, Ukraine claims repelling attacks<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 06:02<\/p>\n

<\/a>UK and US condemn Russia\u2019s Oreshnik ballistic missile strike on Ukraine<\/p>\n

The U.K. and the U.S. have condemned Russia<\/a>‘s use of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile in Ukraine<\/a>, calling it a \u201cdangerous and inexplicable escalation\u201d at an emergency meeting called by the UN Security Council (UNSC).<\/p>\n

Russia Friday claimed it fired the hypersonic missile at a critical target in Ukraine in response to what it described as an attempted drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin<\/a>‘s residences, a claim refuted by Kyiv.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 05:51<\/p>\n

<\/a>Four dead in most intense Russian air raid of 2026 so far<\/p>\n

At least four people have been killed in Russia’s most intense overnight aerial bombardment of the year so far, according to Ukrainian officials and media.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s capital Kyiv came under a short but intense attack from Russian missiles, head of Kyiv\u2019s military administration Tymur Tkachenko said.<\/p>\n

Reuters reported its witnesses heard explosions in the city, but there was no immediate word on casualties or damage.<\/p>\n

In Kharkiv, 30km (18 miles) from the border and also a frequent Russian target, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said four people had died in a strike on the outskirts of the city.<\/p>\n

Syniehubov said six people were injured.<\/p>\n

Telegram channels monitoring Ukraine said about 20 ballistic missiles were launched within about an hour overnight, in what they described as the most sustained strike on Ukraine so far in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"SmokeSmoke rises in the city after Russian drone strikes in Kyiv (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 05:22<\/p>\n

<\/a>Russia using African mercenaries as suicide bombers in Ukraine war<\/p>\n

Russian forces are using African citizens as \u201cmeat for the meat grinder\u201d in their war against Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official.<\/p>\n

Videos from the war frontline show Russia\u2019s troops allegedly strapping a landmine to an African mercenary\u2019s chest and asking him to run as a human bomb through no man\u2019s land and target Ukraine\u2019s positions, reported The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

An unseen man, believed to be a Russian soldier, uses racist insults and tells the mercenary that he is being used as a \u201ccan opener\u201d who will blow himself up to \u201copen\u201d an enemy bunker.<\/p>\n

The Independent has not verified the authenticity of the video independently.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s ambassador to South Africa, Olexander Scherba, confirmed participation of several African nationals in Moscow\u2019s war on Ukraine who are being used in Vladimir Putin\u2019s meat grinding war.<\/p>\n

Scherba said several members of a South African political party with close ties with Russia embroiled in a recent scandal were forced into combat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere might be all kinds of charm offensives on the African continent, but once an African person comes to this war, they just become meat for the meat grinder,\u201d he told The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

The scandal shows Russia \u201clooks at Africa through imperial eyes, he said.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 04:54<\/p>\n

<\/a>Ukraine launches air attack on Russia’s Taganrog<\/p>\n

Ukraine has attacked Russia\u2019s Taganrog city in the southern Rostov region, officials said this morning.<\/p>\n

Rostov governor Yuri Slyusar said Russian air defence systems were trying to repel a Ukrainian air attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetails on the impact on the ground are being clarified,\u201d he said on his Telegram channel.<\/p>\n

The Russian city hosts a number of military facilities and has come under frequent attacks throughout the war.<\/p>\n

In November, Ukraine’s armed forces reported successful strikes on several strategic Russian targets, including the Taganrog Aircraft Repair Plant and the Atlant Aero drone manufacturing facility in Rostov oblast.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai13 January 2026 04:35<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In photos: Russia launches year’s most concentrated barrage on UkraineA firefighter works at the site of a Russian…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404254,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":["post-404253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}