What’s New
A Russian missile attack had Ukrainians running for cover on Christmas Day morning in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, amid a multi-city assault on Ukraine’s power grid.
Explosions were also heard in Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, and Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv Independent reported.
The strikes have damaged Ukraine’s power grid. Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, has announced energy restrictions in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa after its thermal power plants were hit.
“Kharkiv is under massive rocket fire,” city mayor Igor Terekhov warned in a post on Telegram. “A series of explosions have been heard in the city and there are still ballistic missiles heading towards the city. Stay in safe places.”
DataWrapper
An air alert at 5:41 a.m. local time woke residents with warnings of an attack from Caliber missiles in the Black Sea and Tu-95 manoeuvres from the Volgograd region and the Caspian Sea, Ukrainian news station 24 Channel reported.
The attack included ballistic missiles, the station added, with several explosions heard thundering across the city. A 39-year-old civilian was hospitalized, and two more people suffered shrapnel injuries.
Why It Matters
Russia has been increasingly targeting the Ukrainian power grid. Ukrainian President Zelensky said in September that Russian bombs have destroyed 80 percent of Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
These latest strikes have caused outages and blackouts in several cities, including Kharkiv where it was about 3 degrees Celsius at 11 a.m. local time on Christmas Day.
Zelensky has asked allies for 10 to 12 more Patriot air defense systems to help protect Ukraine’s power grid.
Since November, Russia has also been staging more large-scale ground attacks in an effort to gain territory before 2025, when President-elect Donald Trump is anticipated to push for a ceasefire agreement that could freeze war-time borders.
What To Know
While neither Russia nor Ukraine have an official state religion, 71 percent of Russians, and 60 percent of Ukrainians define themselves as Orthodox Christians.
What They Are Saying
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “Every massive Russian strike requires time for preparation. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a deliberate choice – not only of targets but also of timing and date.
“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred attack drones. The targets are our energy infrastructure. They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine “
He said Ukraine shot down approximately 50 missiles and a “significant” number of drones. “Unfortunately, there are hits. As of now, there are outages in several regions. Energy workers are working to restore the power supply as soon as possible.
“Thank you to everyone who is currently working for the country, who is on combat duty, who is protecting our sky. Let’s restore the maximum. Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas.”
Newsweek has contacted the Russia’s foreign ministry for comment.
What Happens Next
President-elect Trump has said he wants a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of him taking office on January 20.
