Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Russian forces attacked his country with more than 70 missiles and that targets included Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian air defenses shot down 50 of the missiles, but that “there have been hits” and power outages in several regions of the country.
“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?” Zelenskyy said.
In northeastern Ukraine, Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said the city came under a “massive missile attack,” and was later hit with a Russian drone.
Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, said the attacks damaged civilian infrastructure and injured at least six people.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK said Russian missiles caused “serious damage” and forced power cuts in Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Kyiv.
“In an attack aimed at millions of Ukrainians simply wanting to celebrate the holy day, Russia caused serious damage to DTEK thermal generation facilities,” the company said in a statement.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday its air defenses destroyed 58 Ukrainian aerial drones, a number that is higher than typical in the daily exchange of drone attacks between the two sides.
The ministry said 26 of the intercepts took place over the Belgorod region and 23 over Voronezh, with other drones being shot down over Kursk, Bryansk, Tambov and the Sea of Azov.
Voronezh Governor Aleksandr Gusev said on Telegram that the Ukrainian attacks damaged several houses and a power line.
Some information for this report was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.