(Breitbart) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decried Russia’s decision to launch a massive airstrike against the nation’s power infrastructure on Christmas morning accusing them of trying to cause a Christmas Day power and heat cut.
At least five person were killed and hundreds of thousands were without power or heat across Ukraine as parts of the country were forced underground into air-raid shelters in the early hours of Christmas morning by Russian airstrikes and shelling. Kyiv said the strikes included 184 cruise and ballistic missiles, and attack drones.
The Air Force asserted they had shot down 59 missiles and 54 drones overnight.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were blackouts in several regions after the strikes appeared to preference hits on energy infrastructure in the depths of winter. The Ukrainian leader castigated Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for choosing to launch a massive air strike on Christmas day, calling the attacks “inhuman”.
He said: “Every massive Russian strike requires time for preparation. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a deliberate choice – not only of targets but also of timing and date.
“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred attack drones. The targets are our energy infrastructure. They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine”.
Ukrainian state media says equipment at several power plants were severely damaged, and that power networks have been targeted over 200 times in the course of the present invasion.
The Associated Press states half a million were without heat in Ukraine this morning due to the attacks, and quoted the head of a Ukrainian energy company who said of the strikes: “Denying light and warmth to millions of peace-loving people as they celebrate Christmas is a depraved and evil act that must be answered”.
While Ukraine did not suspend its campaign against the Russian occupation for Christmas Day, it did claim to have only struck military targets. Per Kyiv state media, overnight into Christmas Day Ukrainian troops were reported to have struck a command post of the Russian military, which they say had been established in “an abandoned civilian building” in Kursk.
Russia for its part said Ukraine had injured a civilian with drone strikes inside Russia overnight into Christmas Day and criticized Kyiv for what it called “terror attacks” and vowed a response. In particular, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia found it unfair that the rest of the world hadn’t joined Russia in classifying Ukraine as a terrorist state, further underlining the deep gulf in perception between Moscow and Western capitals.