After Ukrainian reports, Russia launched over 70, including ballistic missiles, at Ukraine on Wednesday morning and deployed more than a hundred attack drones. A nationwide air alarm was triggered. Over 50 missiles and a “substantial number” of drones are said to have been intercepted.
The main target appears to have been Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The power grid operator Ukrenerho reduced power consumption, and the energy company DTEK reported attacks on its power plants and power outages in many parts of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack. “Every massive Russian strike requires time for preparation” he wrote on social media. “It’s never an impulsive decision. It’s a conscious choice – not just of the targets, but also of the timing and the date. Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack.”
In July 2023, the Ukrainian parliament declared December 25 a public holiday. Before Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a majority of the population, according to opinion polls, still wanted to celebrate Christmas on January 7, as in Russia. After the war began, public opinion shifted.