CNN
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On Christmas Day, Russia executed an “inhumane” assault on Ukraine’s energy framework, with explosions documented nationwide, as stated by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to DTEK, the largest energy supplier in the country, this marks the thirteenth occasion this year that Russia has executed a significant strike on Ukraine’s power network, leaving it in a fragile state as the conflict enters a third winter.
Reports indicate at least one fatality in the assaults within the eastern Dnipropetrovsk area, with six additional individuals injured in Kharkiv – located under 20 miles from the Russian frontier – noted the national police of Ukraine, who also mentioned that residential structures and civilian amenities sustained damage during the attack. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov stated that the city experienced at least seven missile impacts.
In the Kharkiv region, half a million residences have been deprived of heating amid temperatures dropping to 3 degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit). DTEK reported that Kyiv has implemented rolling blackouts to maintain the stability of the grid.
Concurrently, Ukrainian forces reported that they engaged a Russian command center overnight in Lgov situated in the Kursk region, an area where Kyiv had initiated an unexpected offensive earlier this year.
Local authorities in the Kursk region reported four fatalities and five individuals hospitalized, with one woman in critical condition.
In North Ossetia-Alania, Russia, the defense ministry confirmed that an explosion and fire occurred in a shopping center in Vladikavkaz due to falling debris from a drone that was downed by air defense forces early Wednesday, resulting in one death.
Prior to 2023, most Ukrainians commemorated Christmas on January 7 according to the Julian church calendar; however, Zelensky ratified a law last year officially shifting the date in a bid to further distance the nation from Russian Orthodox Church customs and align it with much of Europe.
Ukraine established its autonomous Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2018, separating from the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Since that time, religious affiliation has increasingly been perceived as an emblem of national allegiance.
The festive occasion is presently honored by Ukrainian Orthodox Christians on December 25, with Zelensky asserting that Russia’s intentions were unmistakable.
“Each significant Russian bombardment requires adequate time for preparation. It is never an impulsive choice. It is a considered decision – regarding not only the targets but also the timing and date,” remarked Zelensky.
“Today, Putin intentionally selected Christmas as the moment for an assault. What could be more inhumane?”
On Wednesday, Russia launched over 70 missiles, including ballistic types, alongside more than 100 attacking drones aimed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, he reported, mentioning that over 50 missiles were intercepted, along with a “substantial” quantity of drones.
“Regrettably, thereare impacts. Currently, there are outages in multiple areas,” he mentioned.
DTEK indicated that the assaults significantly harmed apparatus at its thermal energy facilities throughout the nation.
“This year marks the thirteenth extensive strike on the Ukrainian energy industry and the tenth large-scale assault on the firm’s energy sites,” the company remarked, noting that its thermal power stations have come under fire more than 200 times since Russia’s comprehensive invasion commenced in February 2022.
Russia launched “a large-scale attack on the energy sector once again,” stated Ukraine’s energy minister German Halushchenko on his Facebook account. The energy operator of Ukraine initiated emergency outages in several regions, the minister further added.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, expressed on X that a Russian missile traversed Moldovan and Romanian airspace “serving as a reminder that Russia poses a threat not only to Ukraine.”
Maia Sandu, the president of the Republic of Moldova, tweeted on X: “While our nations commemorate Christmas, the Kremlin opts for destruction – targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and breaching Moldova’s airspace with a missile, actions that blatantly contradict international law. Moldova denounces these activities and stands in complete solidarity with Ukraine.”
The Romanian Ministry of National Defense stated they could not verify the incursion of Romanian airspace.
Poland deployed fighter aircraft as a reaction to a Russian missile risk in western Ukraine, as reported by the Polish Operational Command.
The assault on Wednesday follows a lethal Russian attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve. At least one individual lost their life and 17 more were hurt when a Russian missile impacted a residential structure in the city – the birthplace of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.