Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian president Putin of making a ‘conscious choice’ by launching a major overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, which he characterised as ‘inhumane’.
Russia’s military confirmed that its forces had carried out a ‘massive strike’ on ‘critical’ energy facilities in Ukraine, claiming that ‘its goal had been achieved’.
Ukraine’s air force, which reported detecting 184 missiles and drones in the attack, said many were shot down or missed their targets. It reported that there were casualties from the strikes but could not confirm the figures.
The attack led to power cuts across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, where some residents were driven to sheltering in metro stations.
In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest – the regional authority said that the attack had left half a million people without water, electricity or heating in bitterly cold temperatures.
It was the 13th major attack on Ukraine’s energy sector this year, the country’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said. In September, president Zelensky said 80% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had been destroyed by Russian bombing.
Responding to the latest Russian strikes, US president Joe Biden said: “The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardise the safety of its grid.” Biden has asked the US defence department to continue delivering weapons to Ukraine.
