Bloody Christmas In Ukraine As Russia Launches "Massive Attacks" On Cities

Russia has launched a "massive attack" on Ukraine's energy sector, a Ukrainian minister said on Wednesday, without specifying which cities were under fire. Russian cruise and ballistic missiles also struck several residential areas in the Ukrainian cities of Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv, with reports suggesting several people were killed in the attacks.

Air raid sirens rang out over Ukraine on Wednesday morning, with the air force reporting that Russia launched Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea. 

Energy Sector Attacked

"The enemy is again massively attacking the energy sector," Ukraine's Minister of Energy German Galushchenko wrote on the social media platform Telegram.

Ukraine faces its toughest winter of the almost three-year war as Moscow stepped up its aerial bombardment, with its troops advancing on the frontlines in the east.

"The transmission system operator is taking the necessary measures to limit consumption to minimise the negative consequences for the energy system," he added.

Attacks on Cities

A ballistic missile also struck an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring 15, of which, four are serious. "The monsters landed a direct hit on a four-storey residential block with 32 apartments," the head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, wrote on Telegram.

One man whose body had been pulled from under the rubble could not be revived by medics, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.

Kryvyi Rih, a steelmaking city with a pre-war population of more than 600,000, is President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown.

City of Kharkiv was also pummelled by a "massive missile attack", Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Wednesday morning. "Kharkiv is under a massive missile attack. A series of explosions were heard in the city and there are still ballistic missiles heading towards the city," he wrote on Telegram.

The regional governor counted seven Russian strikes, Terekhov saying at least three people were wounded in a missile attack on Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Wednesday morning, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

The regional governor counted seven Russian strikes and said casualties were still being assessed.

Christmas Attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said Russia had carried out an "inhumane" attack launching dozens of missiles and drones on his war-torn country's energy grid on Christmas Day.

"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," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian President said Russia launched over 70 missiles and 100 drones at Ukraine's energy system.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also slammed the Russian attack. He wrote on Telegram, "While other countries of the world are celebrating Christmas, Ukrainians are continuing to suffer from endless Russian attacks."

Russia has accelerated its advance across eastern Ukraine in recent months, looking to secure as much territory as possible before US President-elect Donald Trump comes to power in January. The Republican leader has promised to bring a swift end to the nearly three-year-long conflict, without proposing any concrete terms for a ceasefire or peace deal.

Moscow's army claims to have seized more than 190 Ukrainian settlements this year, with Kyiv struggling to hold the line in the face of manpower and ammunition shortages.

Russia's defence ministry on Wednesday said its forces had shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight while the Ukrainian Air Force reported the launch of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea, although it was not initially clear where they were headed.