Unconfirmed reports on Ukrainian social media said the alert may have been sounded after Russian jets took off in Belarus.
Air raid sirens sounded this morning in Kyiv and throughout the Ukrainian regions, officials said.
Unconfirmed reports on Ukrainian social media said the alert may have been sounded after Russian jets took off in Belarus.
Reuters was unable to immediately confirm this information.
An explosion is being reported in #Kursk region. pic.twitter.com/mcysOj0sgw
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 25, 2022
Zelensky: We endure…
In his Christmas message yesterday, Ukrainian President Zelensiy said that Ukrainians will perform their own Christmas miracle, showing that they remain unshakable, despite the Russian attacks that have plunged millions into darkness.
Exactly ten months after Russia invaded his country, Zelensky said that while the price of freedom is high, slavery would cost even more.
“We endured the beginning of the war – we endured attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terrorism, missile strikes. We will endure this winter because we know what we are fighting for,” he stressed.
Since October, continuous Russian missile and drone attacks have caused extensive damage to the power generation system, leaving major cities without water and heating.
Zelensky made these statements addressing Ukrainians who celebrate Christmas in December. Most Ukrainians are Orthodox but follow the old calendar and celebrate in early January.
“Even in total darkness, we’ll find each other to hug tight. And if there is no heating, we will hug for a long time to warm each other. We will smile and be happy, as always. With one difference: we will not wait for the miracle, because we create it ourselves.”
The message, about 9 minutes long, was filmed outdoors at night, with a Christmas tree in the background and only a few lights visible.
Zelensky noted that Ukrainian soldiers are fighting in the Donbas region while others are internally displaced or have fled abroad to escape the Russians. “We have been fighting them for more than 300 days and eight years. Are we going to let them get what they want?’ he concluded, referring to the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Ten dead in Kherson
At least 10 people were killed and 58 others were injured in shelling in Kherson, Ukrainian authorities said, denouncing an unprovoked attack by Russian forces on the city, which was recently retaken by Ukrainians after the withdrawal of the Russian army.
A pro-Russian official claimed that Ukrainian forces launched the attack and that their aim was to pin the blame on Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released photos showing burnt cars, broken windows and dead bodies on the streets. “Social media platforms will likely flag these photos as ‘sensitive content.’ But it’s not sensitive content. It is the everyday life of Ukraine and Ukrainians,” he wrote. “These are not military installations. It’s terror, it’s killing for intimidation and for pleasure,” he added.
Russia controls most but not all of Kherson province. Local governor Yaroslav Yanusevych, appointed by Kyiv, told Ukrainian television that the death toll had reached 10.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor, said Kyiv had ordered the Ukrainian military to bomb the city. “This is a vile provocation, with the obvious intention of blaming the Russian armed forces,” he wrote on Telegram.
Yuriy Sobolevsky, the deputy chairman of the local council, said a rocket landed next to a supermarket near Freedom Square. “There were citizens there, living their lives, minding their own business,” he said.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports from Kherson.
An adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Kirill Tymoshenko, said the attack came from a Grad multiple launch missile system. Another adviser, Mykhailo Podoliak, criticized those calling for Kyiv to start peace talks with Russia, recalling the ongoing shelling of Ukrainian infrastructure. “I will remind those who suggest that we consider (Russian) peace initiatives: right now Russia is ‘negotiating’, killing the citizens of Kherson, erasing Bakhmut from the map, destroying the networks of Kiev and Odessa, torturing citizens in Melitopolis. Russia wants to kill with impunity. Shall we allow it?’ he reported.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
