Zelensky condemns Putin for 'inhumane' Christmas Day attack

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for greenlighting an “inhumane” Christmas Day attack, including missiles and drones, that damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and left thousands with power outages.

“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack,” Zelensky said in a Wednesday post on social platform X. “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.”

Ukraine’s leader said the country’s defense systems shot down more than 50 missiles and a “significant” number of drones. Others hit multiple cities and caused power outages in “several regions.”

Russia attacked Ukraine’s energy and fuel supplies with 78 ground and air missiles and 106 Shahed drones, according to Ukraine’s air force. The military branch said it intercepted 59 missiles and 54 Shahed drones.

Because of the attack, one person died in the Dnipropetrovsk region. In the Kharkiv region, at least six people were injured.

This was the 13th time Russia attacked Ukraine’s energy system, according to DTEK, the country’s biggest private energy company. It was the 10th strike on DTEK’s facilities, damaging power stations and causing nationwide outages. The energy company said the strike killed one of its engineers.

“There are no depths to which Russia will not sink. Denying light and warmth to millions of peace-loving people as they celebrate Christmas is a depraved and evil act that must be answered,” DTEK’s CEO Maxim Timchenko said Wednesday on X. “We appeal to every ally of Ukraine to end this state-sponsored terrorism now by giving our armed forces the air defence ammunition they need to protect essential energy infrastructure.”

Russia’s military launched at least 12 missile strikes on “critical” infrastructure in the Kharkiv region, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov's post on Telegram. About half a million people in the Kharkiv area are without electricity.

Across the border, one woman died and three people were injured in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz from a fire caused by a downed drone Wednesday morning, The Associated Press reported.