Alarm sirens throughout Ukraine they howled for the first time at 5:24 Kiev time (4:24 in Poland – ed.). The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine then announced the launch by Russia Kalibr cruise missiles and Shahed drones.
After several dozen minutes, the first information about explosions in Ukrainian cities appeared on social media. After 6, the mayor of Kharkov Igor Terekhov confirmed the shelling of the town.
Russia's massive attack on Ukraine. Ukrainians are counting their losses
“We recorded hits in the Salt and Niemyszla districts. There are six victims at the moment. Several fires broke out in non-residential buildings, rescuers are still eliminating the effects of enemy attacks,” he wrote.
Almost at the same time, attacks using Shahed combat drones were carried out on the Kiev region. Increased anti-aircraft defense work resulted in the shooting down of all enemy objects.
“As a result of falling fragments (…) in two districts 12 cars, a cafe building and three private houses were damaged” – said the head of the Kiev regional authorities, Rusław Kravchenko.
The effects of the attacks were also felt in other regions of the country, including: in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy and Rivne oblasts.
War in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky: Russian evil will not disfigure Christmas
To the massive Russian attack on Christmas Day Christmas the president of Ukraine reacted. Volodymyr Zelensky in a special message published on social media, he emphasized that The Russians deliberately chose the holiday season to fire.
“Every massive Russian attack requires time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of the goals, but also of the time and date. Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and over a hundred attack drones. The goal is our energy. They are still fighting for a blackout in Ukraine“- he wrote.
“According to preliminary data, our defenders managed to shoot down over 50 missiles and a significant number of drones. Unfortunately, there are hits. Currently, there are power outages in several regions (…) Thank you to everyone who is currently working for the country, performing combat duty, protecting our sky (…) Russian evil will not break Ukraine and disfigure Christmas“- added Zelensky.
Massive shelling of Ukraine. Christmas without electricity
Due to the massive missile and drone fire in Ukraine, the state energy operator announced the introduction schedule of power outages in several regions of Ukraine.
He also confirmed information about damage to the energy system Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko.
“The transmission system operator undertakes necessary consumption reduction actions to minimize negative impacts on the power system. As soon as the security situation allows, energy companies will explain the damage,” he wrote on social media.