Executive Summary

It's Thursdy, January 29th.On the 28th, Russian strikes killed at least 13 Ukrainian civilians in coordinated attacks across multiple cities, including a deadly assault on a passenger train near Barvinkove that killed 5. In South Sudan, military forces launched an offensive accompanied by explicit calls from commanders to kill all civilians including women and children, prompting UN warnings of genocide risk. Fighting continued in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo despite a recent peace deal, with ethnic Tutsi civilians killed by government-allied forces. North Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles, Myanmar's junta conducted airstrikes killing resistance fighters, and five Palestinians died in Gaza from Israeli operations. The day's confirmed death toll reached 56-65 across eight countries.

Israeli operations in Gaza kill five Palestinians

Israeli forces killed five Palestinians in Gaza on January 28, bringing the total killed since the October 2025 ceasefire to 492. Gaza's Health Ministry reported four were killed by IDF gunfire, including a nine-year-old girl in Khan Yunis. The healthcare system remains in catastrophic collapse with severe shortages of medicine, equipment, and clean water affecting the territory's 2.3 million residents.

U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz addressed the UN Security Council on January 28, announcing Gaza demilitarization would include an internationally funded buyback program for Hamas weapons. The program aims to disarm militant groups while providing financial compensation for surrendered arms. Israeli forces conducted a large-scale operation to locate the last remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, whose body was recovered from a Gaza City cemetery during operations that concluded on January 28.

Israeli strikes target Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Israel targeted Hezbollah operatives at an underground site in southern Lebanon on January 28 as part of ongoing enforcement of the November 2024 ceasefire. During the week of January 20-26, the Israel Defense Forces attacked four border crossings, weapons depots, a Radwan Force camp, and eliminated four Hezbollah operatives. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported four killed and 26 wounded from IDF attacks during that week.

Israeli operations focus on preventing weapons transfers and targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Lebanon continues to document ceasefire violations for submission to the UN Security Council, with over 2,000 violations recorded in the first quarter following the November 2024 agreement.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Gaza Health Ministry, Lebanese Ministry of Health, UN Security Council statements

Russian drone strikes kill five on passenger train near Barvinkove

Russian drones struck a civilian passenger train traveling from Barvinkove to Lviv in Kharkiv Oblast on January 28, killing 4-5 passengers, injuring 2, and leaving 4 missing. Approximately 200 passengers were aboard, with 18 in the directly hit carriage that caught fire. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as terrorism, stating there is no military justification for killing civilians in a train carriage. Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Stenergard called the attack senseless, while Latvia's foreign minister demanded maximum global pressure on Russia.

The train attack was part of coordinated Russian operations on January 28 that killed at least 13-14 Ukrainian civilians across multiple cities. Russian forces launched 146 drones (103 intercepted), one Iskander-M missile, conducted 63 airstrikes, and fired over 4,500 artillery shells. Combat intensity remained high with 109 clashes along the frontline on Day 1,434 of the full-scale invasion.

Multiple Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least eight

Russian strikes on Odesa Oblast killed 3 and injured 25 when a building was hit on January 28. In Kyiv outskirts at Bilohorodka, an overnight attack killed 2. Sumy Oblast saw a drone strike kill 2 civilians attempting to evacuate from Hrabovske. In Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, an aerial bomb struck a kindergarten-turned-community-center, killing 1. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast experienced shelling and drone attacks across five districts that killed 1. In Zaporizhzhia city, two MLRS strikes injured 6 in a residential district. A drone attack on Odesa port damaged the Holy Dormition Monastery and injured 3.

Ukrainian forces conducted retaliatory drone strikes on Russia's Voronezh region, hitting the Khokholskaya oil depot and sparking fires. The cumulative Russian casualty toll from January 28 operations reached 13-14 killed and more than 36 injured, with 4 still missing from the train attack.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Ukrainian General Staff, Russian Defense Ministry, Reuters, Associated Press, BBC News

No specific armed conflict incidents were verified as occurring on January 28, 2026 in the Americas theater. However, significant violence occurred in the 48-72 hours preceding: In Mexico on January 26, gunmen killed 11 people and wounded 12 at a soccer field in Salamanca, Guanajuato, in suspected cartel violence. In Guatemala on January 27, Barrio 18 gang prison uprising led to 10 police officers killed in retaliatory street attacks, prompting a 30-day state of emergency. In Honduras on January 27, a new president was inaugurated amid disputed election, following an earlier explosive attack that injured a conservative lawmaker.

An MSF report released January 28 documented Haiti's catastrophic gang violence crisis, with sexual assault cases tripling since 2021. Gangs control 80-90 percent of Port-au-Prince, displacing 1.4 million people. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate with limited international intervention capacity.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), regional media outlets

South Sudan launches military offensive with genocidal rhetoric

South Sudan's military commenced Operation Enduring Peace to recapture towns in Jonglei State on January 28, with a senior commander explicitly ordering troops to kill all civilians. Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang announced the offensive and ordered immediate civilian evacuation from three counties, giving aid organizations 48 hours to leave. The UN Human Rights Commission expressed grave alarm after video emerged of General Johnson Olony urging troops to spare no lives and kill all civilians including the elderly, destroy property, and not spare a chicken.

Opposition spokesperson condemned his words as an early indicator of genocidal intent. International Crisis Group's Horn of Africa director declared it is now indisputable that South Sudan has returned to war. This potentially marks a return to full-scale civil war, which killed an estimated 400,000 people from 2013-2018. Opposition forces have threatened to advance toward the capital Juba, where several thousand Ugandan soldiers are deployed defensively.

Fighting continues in eastern Congo despite peace deal

The Congolese army conducted a drone strike on M23 rebel positions in Kikuku, North Kivu Province on January 28, the fourth consecutive day of clashes following the DRC-Rwanda peace deal signing. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated Rwanda's actions in eastern DRC are a clear violation of the Washington Accords signed by President Trump. At least 12 Banyamulenge civilians were killed and 56 arrested by Burundian army and FARDC forces as they left Minembwe for Mikenge market seeking basic necessities. The Banyamulenge, an ethnic Tutsi community, face targeting due to perceived sympathy with M23 rebels. A Burundian blockade has been imposed on Banyamulenge-inhabited areas.

Counter-terrorism designations target Al-Shabaab network

The U.S.-led Terrorist Financing Targeting Center announced joint designations of 15 al-Shabaab leaders, operatives, and financial facilitators operating in Somalia on January 28. The U.S. has conducted 23 airstrikes in Somalia in January 2026 targeting al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia. The designations aim to disrupt financing networks supporting the militant group's operations across East Africa.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, UN Human Rights Commission, International Crisis Group, U.S. State Department

North Korea tests four ballistic missiles

North Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles from a large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system on January 28, with projectiles traveling 358.5 km before landing in the Sea of Japan. Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter, announced the upcoming 9th Workers' Party Congress would unveil next-stage plans for further bolstering the country's nuclear war deterrent. He stated the test would bring excruciating mental agony to adversaries. The test demonstrated continued advancement of North Korea's tactical nuclear delivery systems.

Myanmar junta airstrikes kill resistance fighters

Myanmar's military conducted airstrikes on Hman Hae Village in Sagaing Region on January 28, killing 5 resistance fighters and injuring 2 civilians. Junta troops also raided villages in Mandalay's Nganzun Township, using drones against villagers and forcing residents to flee. The civil war continues unabated with 3.5 million displaced despite ongoing sham elections. Additionally, a Myanmar fighter jet struck a village near Bhamo in Kachin State, killing 21 people and wounding 28 in one of the deadliest single strikes in recent weeks.

ASEAN foreign ministers convened in Cebu, Philippines under pressure to advance a Myanmar peace plan and conclude South China Sea code of conduct negotiations with China. The bloc continues to face criticism for its inability to address the Myanmar crisis or counter Chinese maritime expansion in disputed waters.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Digital Journal, Al Jazeera, ABC News, regional monitoring groups

No terrorist attacks or armed conflict incidents were verified for January 28, 2026 in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, or Central Asia. The most significant security development was the ongoing displacement of 70,000 people from Pakistan's Tirah region amid fears of a military operation against TTP militants. Recent prior incidents included an ISIS-K bombing in Kabul on January 19 that killed 7 and a TTP suicide bombing at a Pakistani wedding on January 23 that killed 7. The absence of attacks on January 28 reflects daily variance in conflict cycles rather than resolution of underlying threats.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, regional security organizations

Russian Sandworm unit behind Polish energy grid attack

Russian state-sponsored hackers targeted Polish power infrastructure in late December 2025, with detailed attribution to ELECTRUM/Sandworm (GRU unit) published January 28. The DynoWiper malware attack hit approximately 30 distributed energy sites representing 1.2GW, or 5 percent of Poland's supply. While the attack failed to cause a blackout, it could have triggered cascading grid failures. The operation demonstrates continued Russian cyber warfare capabilities against NATO critical infrastructure.

Other cyber activity included China-linked Mustang Panda deploying updated COOLCLIENT backdoor against government entities, and a critical Fortinet vulnerability (CVSS 9.4) actively exploited with CISA emergency deadline of January 30. A Belgian hospital cyberattack on January 13 caused 70-plus surgery cancellations and over 3 million euros in damages. In the space domain, U.S. Space Force successfully launched GPS III-9 satellite via SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, the ninth of ten planned GPS III satellites featuring enhanced anti-jamming capabilities.

Sources: Bleeping Computer, We Live Security, CISA, U.S. Space Force, cybersecurity research firms