A series of Russian missile and drone strikes have left over half a million homes without power and heat on Christmas Day, forcing the evacuation of a hospital and causing widespread damage.
The attacks targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and cities using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes as “inhuman.” Over half a million people in the Kharkiv region were left with no healing, and blackouts occurred in the capital city of Kyiv.
The strikes wounded at least six individuals in Kharkiv and killed one person in the region of Dnipropetrovsk. According to a report by The Guardian, Dnipro Mayor Dorys Filatov said on Wednesday in a statement posted on Telegram that about 65 homes are still without heat and a number of educational institutions have also been damaged.
“Unfortunately, we will have to evacuate one of the city’s hospitals again, where more than a hundred patients are staying. They will be distributed to other medical institutions in Dnipro,” Filatov said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the strikes, claiming they targeted critical energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex,” according to Reuters.
“This morning the armed forces of the Russian Federation launched a massive strike with long-range precision weapons and strike drones against critical facilities of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that support the work of the military-industrial complex. The aim of the strike was achieved. All facilities have been hit," the ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian military officials have stated that its air defenses shot down 59 Russian missiles and 54 drones throughout the night and on Wednesday morning.
