Russia attacked Ukraine’s vitality system and a few cities with cruise and ballistic missiles plus drones on Wednesday in an “inhuman” Christmas Day assault, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned.
Almost three years into the war, the strikes wounded at the very least six folks within the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv and killed one within the area of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there mentioned.
Half 1,000,000 folks in Kharkiv area had been left with out heating, in temperatures just some levels Celsius above zero, whereas there have been blackouts within the capital Kyiv and elsewhere.
“As we speak, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin intentionally selected Christmas to assault. What could possibly be extra inhuman? Greater than 70 missiles, together with ballistic missiles, and greater than 100 assault drones,” he mentioned.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed it had performed a “large strike” on what it mentioned had been crucial vitality services supporting the work of Kyiv’s “military-industrial advanced”.
“The purpose of the strike was achieved. All services have been hit,” it mentioned in a press release.
Ukraine’s army mentioned its air defences downed 59 Russian missiles and 54 drones in a single day and on Wednesday morning.
Ukrainians had been marking their second Christmas on Wednesday, in keeping with a brand new calendar in one other step in direction of erasing Russian affect.
Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and the unbiased Orthodox Church of Ukraine, arrange in 2018, agreed in 2023 to maneuver away from the normal Julian calendar utilized in Russia the place Christmas is Jan. 7.
Russia has intensified assaults on the Ukrainian vitality sector since spring of this yr, damaging virtually half of its producing capability and inflicting extended blackouts.
‘Russia weaponizes winter’
Ukraine’s air drive mentioned Kharkiv was attacked by ballistic missiles. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov mentioned on Telegram there was harm to civilian non-residential infrastructure, with out giving extra element.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak mentioned the fatality there occurred in an assault on regional energy services.
“Because the morning, the Russian military has been massively attacking the Dnipro area. It’s attempting to destroy the area’s energy system,” he mentioned.
Ukraine’s Power Minister German Galushchenko mentioned on Fb that Russia was massively attacking the facility sector and that restrictions on electrical energy provide had been in place.
Ukraine’s largest non-public vitality firm DTEK mentioned its producing services were attacked, with energy gear critically broken, within the thirteenth large-scale assault on the vitality sector this yr.
“We attraction to each ally of Ukraine to finish this state-sponsored terrorism now by giving our armed forces the air defence ammunition they should shield important vitality infrastructure,” DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko mentioned in a press release.
“Russia’s Christmas reward to Ukraine: greater than 70 missiles and 100 drones, directed at Ukrainian households celebrating of their properties and the vitality infrastructure that retains them heat,” mentioned U.S. ambassador Bridget Brink.
“For the third vacation season, Russia weaponizes winter.”
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; Enhancing by Edmund Klamann and Andrew Cawthorne)
( headline and story edited by our workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
