Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Russian drone attacks on Christmas Day. He accused Putin of deliberately choosing to attack Ukraine on Christmas. Zelenskyy emphasized that such large-scale attacks by Russia require thorough planning and are not impulsive decisions.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Russia launched 78 missiles and 113 drones, with 106 drones being shot down. Despite this, Zelenskyy stated that several regions were experiencing power outages. He mentioned that Russia’s targets were Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and they continued their attacks in an attempt to cause power outages.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko announced on Facebook that measures were taken to limit electricity usage to minimize the negative impact on the energy system. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sybiha mocked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on social media for talking about a “Christmas ceasefire” while Putin responded with this Christmas terror.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, Russia has repeatedly bombed the Ukrainian power grid, resulting in severe destruction and frequent blackouts. Orbán had called for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine a few days before Christmas, while Zelenskyy rejected this notion during the EU summit on December 19.
Reports indicated that in the war-torn Kharkiv region, 500,000 people were without heating, and there were power outages in Kyiv. Zelenskyy vowed that Russia’s evil actions would not defeat Ukraine and would not ruin Christmas.
In 2023, Ukraine changed the date of Christmas from January 7 (as per Russian Orthodox tradition) to December 25 to break free from Russian influence on Ukraine’s religious and cultural practices.
On January 5, 2023, Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill called for a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine during Orthodox Christmas. Later that evening, Russian President Putin ordered a 36-hour temporary ceasefire starting from noon on January 6 to midnight on January 7-8 along the entire contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Ukraine rejected the ceasefire proposal, labeling it as a “treacherous trap.”
(Adapted from POLITICO’s report)