KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday (Dec 25) denounced an “inhumane” attack from Russia, which launched over 170 missiles and drones on his war-torn country’s power grid on Christmas Day, killing an energy worker.
The country woke up at 5.30am local time to an air raid alarm, shortly followed by air force reports that Russia had launched Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
“Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones. The target is our energy system,” Zelenskyy said.
This was the 13th large-scale strike on Ukraine’s energy system this year, the latest in Russia’s campaign targeting the power grid during winter.
Russia meanwhile said five people had died in Ukrainian strikes and a falling drone in the border region of Kursk and in North Ossetia in the Caucasus.
Ukraine said its air force downed 58 out of 79 Russian-launched missiles. It did not, however, down the two Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles launched by Russia.
US President Joe Biden called “outrageous” the strikes that cut off people’s access to heat and electricity amid winter conditions.
“I have directed the Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and the United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defense against Russian forces,” he added in a statement.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the strikes.
“I pay tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and the leadership of President Zelenskyy, in the face of further drone and missile attacks from Putin’s bloody and brutal war machine with no respite even at Christmas,” Starmer said.
Kyiv also said a Russian missile went through Moldovan and Romanian airspace, but Romania said it detected no such violation.
“NOTHING SACRED”
“Unfortunately, there are some hits. As of now, there are blackouts in several regions,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s DTEK energy company said the attack severely damaged equipment of thermal power plants.
“Denying light and warmth to millions of peace-loving people as they celebrate Christmas is a depraved and evil act that must be answered,” DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said, urging allies to send more air defence.
The employee of a Ukrainian thermal power plant was killed in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, over which 42 missiles were shot down, governor Sergiy Lysak said.
Lysak also said rescue operations had been completed on the site of a strike on Kryvyi Rig, which killed one person and wounded 17 others the day before.
Engineers have restored power to consumers in the Ivano-Frankisvk region.
“Christmas morning has once again shown that nothing is sacred for the aggressor country,” Svitlana Onyshchuk, the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, said earlier.
Ukraine is officially celebrating Christmas on Dec 25 for the second time.
The government last year changed the date from Jan 7, when most Orthodox believers celebrate, as a snub to Russia.
