Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine over Christmas, targeting the country’s energy infrastructure and cities, in a move President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned as “inhumane”, while the US President Joe Biden also called the attack “outrageous” and promised immediate military assistance. Cafe.
Almost three years into the war, at least six people were wounded in attacks in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and one was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region, governors there said.
US President Joe Biden condemned the “outrageous” attack and said he had asked the US Defense Department to proceed with a new increase in military aid to Kiev.
Half a million people in the Kharkiv region were left without heat, with temperatures only a few degrees above zero, while the capital There was a blackout in Kyiv and other places.
“Today, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhumane than that? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred drone attacks,” he said. “, he said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that it has carried out a “massive attack” on key energy installations supporting the operation of Kiev’s “military-industrial complex”.
“The objective of the strike has been achieved. All facilities have been damaged,” it said in a statement.
Ukraine’s military said its air defenses shot down 59 Russian missiles and 54 drones overnight and early Wednesday.
Biden, who succeeds Donald Trump next month, said the attack was aimed “to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during the winter and to jeopardize the security of its grid”.
Washington has pledged $175 billion in aid to Ukraine. It is not certain that the flow will continue at this pace under Trump, who has said he wants to end the war quickly.
In Moldova, Ukraine’s western neighbor, pro-European President Maia Sandu said a Russian missile passed through her country’s airspace during the airstrike.
“While our countries celebrate Christmas, the Kremlin chose the path of destruction, attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and violating Moldova’s airspace,” Sandow wrote on social media.
Moldova has seen several incidents of drones flying over its territory and missiles flying through its airspace.
Ukraine celebrated its second Christmas on Wednesday according to a new calendar in another step towards erasing Russian influence.
Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and the Independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was founded in 2018, agreed in 2023 to move away from the traditional Julian calendar used in Russia, where Christmas falls on January 7.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector since the spring of this year, causing the loss of nearly half of its production capacity and long blackouts.
‘Russia builds weapons in winter’
The Ukrainian Air Force said Kharkiv was attacked with ballistic missiles. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram that civilian non-residential infrastructure had been damaged, without elaborating.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhii Lysak said the deaths occurred in an attack on regional power installations.
“Since morning, the Russian army has been carrying out large-scale attacks on the Dnipro region. They are trying to destroy the power system of the region,” he said.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushenko said on Facebook that Russia is attacking the power sector on a large scale and imposing restrictions on electricity supply.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said it was the 13th large-scale attack on the energy sector this year targeting power generation facilities, severely damaging power equipment.
“We call on each of Ukraine’s allies to end this state-sponsored terrorism now by providing their armed forces with air defense munitions,” DTEK CEO Maxim Tymchenko said in a statement. DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said in a statement.
Russia’s Christmas gift to Ukraine: More than 70 missiles and 100 drones, celebrating Ukrainian families in their homes and the energy infrastructure that keeps them warm, he said.
“For Third Holiday Season, Russia Weapons Winter.”