Russia accused of launching ‘inhumane’ attack on Christmas Day

Vladimir Putin has sparked a fresh wave of fury by ordering an “evil” act from his military to mark Christmas Day.

Ukrainian President Vololdymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of plumbing new depths by making the “conscious choice” to launch an “inhumane” attack on Christmas Day.

The widespread bombardment, targeting Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure, involved at least 184 missiles and drones, according to the country’s military.

Many of those were shot down, but others hit their marks, causing power outages and an, as yet, unspecified number of casualties.

The country woke up at 5.30, local time, to an air raid alarm, followed shortly by air force reports that Russia had launched Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.

In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, some residents without power were forced to spend Christmas huddling inside underground metro stations.

There were similarly widespread blackouts affecting 500,000 people in the Kharkiv region. Those residents had to endure near-zero temperatures without access to heating.

“Kharkiv is under a massive missile attack,” the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, wrote on Telegram during the attack.

“A series of explosions were heard in the city and there are still ballistic missiles heading towards us.”

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed, in its daily briefing, that it had indeed conducted strikes targeting critical Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Emergency workers respond to the site of a destroyed house after one of the Russian drone strikes in Kharkiv. Picture: Sergey Bobok/AFP

Another wrecked home in Kharkiv. Picture: Sergey Bobok/AFP

Vladimir Putin’s forces have repeatedly targeted that infrastructure throughout the war, hoping to knock out power to swathes of Ukraine, particularly during the cold winter months. There have been 13 such large-scale attacks this year alone.

Throughout the course of the invasion, which began in February of 2022, Russia has managed to half the generating capacity of Ukraine’s power grid.

“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhumane?” Mr Zelensky said in his statement about the strikes.

“More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones (were involved). The targets were our energy. They continue to fight for a blackout.

“Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas.”

Ukraine’s military reportedly managed to down 58 of the 79 missiles. Some of the others missed their targets anyway.

The United States’ ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, rather grimly described the attacks as “Russia’s Christmas gift to Ukraine”.

Ms Brink accused Putin of targeting “Ukrainian families celebrating in their homes and the energy infrastructure that keeps them warm”.

“For the third holiday season, Russia weaponises winter,” she added.

US President Joe Biden called the attacks “outrageous”.

“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 defence against Russian forces,” Mr Biden said.

Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: John Thys/AFP

Vladimir Putin. Picture: Alexander Kazakov/AFP

British officials further condemned the strikes.

“I pay tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and the leadership of President Zelensky, in the face of further drone and missile attacks from Putin’s bloody and brutal war machine, with no respite, even at Christmas,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“As we go into the new year, it remains vital that we redouble our resolve to place Ukraine in the strongest possible position to end Russia’s illegal aggression.”

“Putin has chosen Christmas Day to strike innocent civilians in Ukraine. Zelensky is right, this is inhumane,” said British Foreign Minister David Lammy.

“Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people. We will stand with them on this day.”

‘Nothing is sacred’

Ukraine’s DTEK energy company said the Christmas attacks had severely damaged equipment at 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,” the company’s CEO, Maxim Timchenko, said.

“Christmas morning has once again shown that nothing is sacred for the aggressor country,” Svitlana Onyshchuk, head of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, which also lost power.

Ukraine officially celebrated Christmas on December 25 for the second time. The government last year changed the date from January 7, when most Orthodox Christian believers celebrate, as a snub to Russia.

Mr Zelensky has been urging allies to send more aid to fend off aerial strikes and push back Russian troops on the ground.

Outnumbered Ukrainian troops are now on the back foot across the front line in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, ceding ground to better-equipped Russian troops.

Both sides are scrambling to gain as much of an upper hand as possible ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. Mr Trump has boasted that he will quickly end the war, raising fears among Ukrainians that he may force Kyiv into making a deal on Putin’s terms.