Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Christmas Day
The Hindu
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy condemns Russia's missile attack on power sources, causing casualties and widespread outages.
Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Wednesday (December 25, 2024), striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and over 100 attack drones were used to strike Ukraine's power sources, in a statement on X.
At least one person was killed in the Dnipro region in the attack, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said on Telegram, adding that heating was disrupted for 155 residential buildings in Ivano-Frankivsk 81. He also said 500,000 recipients or 2677 buildings in Kharkiv region were without heat.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said one Russian missile passed Moldovan and Romanian airspace.
“Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?" Mr. Zelenskyy said. “They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.”
He said Ukraine has managed to shoot down at least 50 missiles and a significant number of drones.
Ukrainian Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, said Russia again “massively attacks energy infrastructure," in a Facebook statement. Ukraine’s Air Force alerted multiple missiles fired at Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Poltava regions east of the country.
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