Russian shelling killed 56-year-old paramedic Serhiy Mykolayovych Smolyak of the Center for Emergency Medical Aid and Disaster Medicine on January 9 while three emergency medical teams provided aid, with a second strike injuring three medics who were hospitalized and others treated on site, according to Yulia Kiriyenko in a statement released over the past hour. Kiriyenko expressed condolences to Smolyak's family and colleagues, calling it an irreparable loss for the medical community, and noted the medics' work under fire without the right to fear or stop, as shared during the reporting window ending 8:45 a.m. UTC. The incident occurred amid ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine, following an overnight assault reported earlier January 9 where Ukraine's Air Force downed or suppressed 244 of 278 air attack vehicles targeting critical infrastructure in the Kyiv region, including strikes on power plants causing blackouts, per the Air Force statement and Kyiv officials. Russia launched 242 strike UAVs, 13 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, 22 Kalibr cruise missiles, and one medium-range ballistic missile, with defenses intercepting 226 UAVs, eight ballistic missiles, and 10 Kalibr missiles, the Air Force detailed as of 9:00 a.m. January 9.
