Ukraine war latest: Russia is arming Shahed-type drones with MANPADS heat-seeking missiles
Hello, this is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,413 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
A Russian Shahed-type drone reportedly downed in Chernihiv Oblast was armed with a MANPADS heat-seeking missile, media reported on Jan. 5.
MANPADS — man-portable air defense systems — are typically used as short-range weapons to engage low-flying aircraft such as fighter jets and helicopters.
Ukraine routinely deploys helicopters armed with heavy machine guns to track and destroy the Shahed-type drones that Russia launches against Ukraine on a nightly basis.
In August of last year, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said more than 3,200 had been taken down by helicopter crews in the preceding 12 months.
The addition of MANPADS to Russia's Shahed-type drones would be a logical next step in the ever-evolving drone warfare that has come to dominate the war in Ukraine.
How effective they are remains unknown — there are no public accounts of Ukrainian helicopters being downed whilst targeting Shahed-type drones, by drone-mounted MANPADS or otherwise.
Russian forces are mounting Igla MANPADS on Shahed drones to target Ukrainian helicopters that intercept them. The drones carry a camera and radio modem, and the missile is launched remotely by an operator in Russian territory. pic.twitter.com/T5TKPHyhVu
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) January 4, 2026
In a post on Facebook, Presidential Sanctions Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk said the discovery was an example of Russia "further developing the concept of a 'drone as a platform.'"
"It is still premature to evaluate the effectiveness of such a collaboration. However, the development vector is clear and dangerous," he added.
Zelensky, UK, France sign declaration on multinational force in Ukraine post-war
Last updated 8:46 p.m. Kyiv time.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Jan. 6 signed a declaration of intent for a post-war deployment of a multinational force in Ukraine.
The news comes as Zelensky met with European leaders and U.S. envoys in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Kyiv, part of Washington's renewed efforts to broker a peace deal with Moscow.
'Explosions rang out all night' — SBU conducts fresh strikes on ammunition depot and oil facility deep inside Russia, source says
Last updated 3:46 p.m. Kyiv time.
Overnight long-range strikes by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have successfully damaged an ammunition depot and oil facility in central Russia, a source inside the agency told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 6.
The strikes are just the latest in an escalating Ukrainian "deep strike" campaign against Russian military targets and oil infrastructure, made possible by the growing domestic production of long-range attack drones.
According to the SBU source, long-range drones operated by the agency's Alpha special forces unit struck a large Russian arsenal near the town of Neya in Kostroma Oblast, claiming that explosions from the secondary detonations of ammunition at the depot "rang out all night."
The Neya arsenal served as a larger ammunition hub, from which artillery ammunition as well as rockets and missiles were distributed to smaller depots, said the SBU source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Kostroma Oblast is located northeast of Moscow, while Neya itself is over 900 kilometers from Ukrainian-held areas. Over 2025, thanks to advancements in Ukraine's deep strike program — both in terms of the drones themselves and operators such as Alpha — targets at such ranges are hit more and more frequently.
Ukrainian drones strike oil facilities in several Russian regions and residential building in Tver, officials say
Last updated 6:35 a.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainian drones carried out overnight attacks on several Russian regions on Jan. 6, with explosions and fires reported in multiple locations, according to Russian Telegram channels.
In Tver, regional authorities initially said a piece of debris from a drone hit a high-rise building in the city center during the attack, killing one person, injuring two others, and sparking a fire.
Later in the morning, Tver Oblast governor Vitaly Korolev said that it was a gas pipe explosion, not drone debris, that had caused the apartment fire and killed the resident.
The first reported strikes in the overnight attack occurred in Penza, where residents said they heard five to seven explosions after 2:00 a.m. local time and saw flashes in the sky, with preliminary reports suggesting a possible hit on a bearing plant.
Around 3:00 a.m. local time, social media footage showed a large glow over Usman, where drones reportedly struck an oil refinery, triggering a fire.
Explosions were also reported in Sterlitamak, though the target there remains unclear.
Russian authorities have not officially confirmed the scope or targets of the attacks.
At least 3 killed, 15 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least four people have been killed and 15 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on Jan. 5.
Russia launched 61 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 53.
At least eight drones made it through, striking six locations.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 24 settlements, killing one person and injuring seven others over the past day, the local military administration said in its daily report at around 8 a.m. local time.
In Donetsk Oblast, one person was killed in Russian strikes against in the Pokrovsky district, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces launched 856 strikes on 29 settlements, killing one person, regional authorities reported.
Later on Jan. 6, Governor Ivan Fedorov said three people were injured when a Russian first-person view (FPV) drone hit a police vehicle.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked the city of Kharkiv, injuring a 58-year-old man, and a 64-year-old woman, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,213,460 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,213,460 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 6.
The number includes 940 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,512 tanks, 23,863 armored fighting vehicles, 73,102 vehicles and fuel tanks, 35,831 artillery systems, 1,593 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,269 air defense systems, 434 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 101,443 drones, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.
