Many Ukrainians celebrated without heat or power afterwards Russia launched a Christmas Day attack on the the country's energy infrastructurean act that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as “inhumane.”
“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhuman,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X early Wednesday. “Every major Russian strike takes time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of targets, but also of time and date.”
More than 70 Russian missiles and more than a hundred drones targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with Ukrainian forces successfully shooting down more than 50 missiles and a large number of drones, Zelenskyy added in his post.
Zelenskyy also said that the “targeted attack” on the energy sector caused disruptions in several regions, including Kyiv, and stressed that Russian forces “continue to fight for blackouts in Ukraine.”
“The evil of Russia will not break Ukraine and will not cancel Christmas,” he said.
The Russian defense ministry confirmed the attacks.
“This morning, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a large-scale strike with long-range precision weapons and a drone strike on critical energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine that ensure the operation of the military-industrial complex,” the ministry said in their daily meeting on Telegram.
“The aim of the strike has been achieved. All facilities have been hit,” he said.
“This Christmas terror is Putin's response to those who spoke of a false “Christmas cease-fire”,” said Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, in a post on X Wednesday morning.
The attack caused “severe damage” to the equipment of a thermal power plant, according to DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy company. As soon as the shedding stopped, energy department workers “started restoring the equipment” to ensure a quick recovery, he said.
The Minister of Energy of Ukraine, Herman Hlushchenko, confirmed that Russia “is seriously attacking the energy system,” in a post on Telegram on Wednesday morning.
He urged the population to stay in shelters until the shelling stops, saying that necessary measures have been implemented to “minimize the negative effects on the power system.”
This marks Russia's 13th attack on Ukraine's energy sector this year, and the 10th attack on the company's energy enterprises, according to a post on the official telegram account of DTEK.
This marks only the second time in the history of Ukraine today Christmas is officially celebrated on December 25important moving away from the traditional January 7 celebration observed by Russians and other Eastern Orthodox Christians.
“For the second time in modern history, Christmas unites all Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said in an earlier post on X.
“Today, we stand side by side. And we will not be lost,” said Zelenskyy, adding, “Ukrainians are together today. And as long as we do this, evil has no chance.”
Meanwhile, Russian officials said on Wednesday that four people were killed and five wounded in the partially-engaged Kursk region after being shelled in Ukraine.
The acting governor of the region, Alexander Khinshtein, said in a post on Telegram that the gas and electricity supply in the town of Lgov was disrupted by the shelling.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
