LONDON — Ukrainians faced renewed Russian drone and missile attacks on energy infrastructure across the nation on Tuesday night since Christmas morning, with Kiev’s energy minister warning of imminent power cuts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram: “Each massive Russian strike takes time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of targets, but of time and date.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Zelenskyy, “deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred strike drones. The targets are our energy sector. They continue to fight. For a blackout in Ukraine.”
“According to previous data, our defenders managed to shoot down more than 50 missiles and a significant part of drones,” Zelenskyy said. “Unfortunately, there are shocks. So far, there are outages in several regions. Energy workers are working to restore the power supply as soon as possible.”
People take cover in a metro station during an air raid alert on December 25, 2024 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Thomas Peter/Reuters
“The enemy attacks energy again en masse,” German Energy Minister Galushchenko wrote in a statement posted on Facebook early Wednesday. He added that the network operator was implementing the “necessary measures to reduce consumption” in order to minimize the negative effects on the energy system.
When the security situation allows, “electrical companies will determine the damage caused”, added Galushchenko. “Stay tuned to official announcements. Stay in shelters while the danger lasts!
In a statement released to Xi, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: “This Christmas panic is Putin’s response to those who talked about the illusion of a ‘Christmas ceasefire’.”
“A Russian missile crossed the airspace of Moldova and Romania, reminding us that Russia threatens not only Ukraine,” Sybiha added.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, said its forces shot down 59 Ukrainian drones in one night.
This year marks the second time that Ukraine will officially celebrate Christmas on December 25. Previously, many Ukrainians celebrated Christmas in January according to the Orthodox calendar, as Russian Orthodox still do.
“For the second time, we celebrate Christmas on the same date as one big family, one country,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Tuesday. “For the second time in modern history, Christmas unites all Ukrainians.”
“Today, we stand by each other, and we will not be lost,” added Zelenskyy. “In person, from afar or in our hearts – Ukrainians are together today. And as long as we do that, evil has no chance.”
In this Dec. 25, 2024 file photo provided by the Emergency Services of Ukraine, firefighters work at the site of a home destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.
AP
