In a brutal escalation just days before Christmas, Russian forces unleashed a massive overnight barrage of drones and missiles across multiple Ukrainian cities, resulting in civilian deaths, including that of a young child, and widespread damage to energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, stating it sends a clear signal about Moscow's priorities despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Details of the Deadly Assault
Ukrainian officials reported that at least three people were killed in the coordinated strikes. In a heartbreaking incident in the central Zhytomyr region, a four-year-old child succumbed to injuries after being rushed to the hospital. "Doctors fought for (the child's) life but could not save (the child) in the end," said regional head Vitaly Bunechko. Five others were injured in that attack.
Separately, a 76-year-old woman was killed when a house in the Kyiv region was hit, and a 72-year-old man died in an attack on Khmelnytskyy in western Ukraine. The scale of the assault was immense: Ukraine's air force stated that Russia launched 635 drones and 38 missiles overnight, with Ukrainian defenses successfully downing 621 of the incoming threats.
Targeting Energy and Civilian Life
The Russian defense ministry claimed it targeted Ukrainian "military-industrial complex plants and supporting energy facilities." However, the aftermath left several regions without power, plunging homes into darkness and cold. Acting Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov confirmed this was the ninth large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy system this year, with supply in the Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytsky regions "almost completely" lost.
Oleksandr Chyrvonyi, a resident of frontline Zaporizhzhia, described the night as "an extremely unpleasant experience" with constant alerts. He highlighted the grim new normal: "Power cuts are the new normal. Zaporizhzhia has around 10 hours of electricity out of 24." With temperatures expected to drop to -7°C, Ukraine's energy operator warned of emergency shutdowns and urged citizens to conserve power.
Political Context and Retaliatory Strikes
The attack follows a series of heightened tensions. President Zelensky had previously warned that massive attacks during the festive period were in the Kremlin's "nature." The assault also comes a day after the killing of a top Russian general, Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, in a Moscow car bomb—an incident Russia blames on Ukraine.
In a related development, Ukraine reportedly struck a petrochemical plant in Russia's Stavropol region with a drone, causing a large fire, though no casualties were reported. This appears to be part of the ongoing tit-for-tat strikes, with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently threatening to sever Ukraine's Black Sea access in retaliation for attacks on Russian tankers.
Diplomatically, the violence overshadows recent peace talks. Zelensky revealed that the US had proposed a Christmas truce, which Russia rejected. He criticized Putin, stating the Russian leader "still cannot accept that he must stop killing," and argued this indicates insufficient international pressure on Moscow. Envoys from Washington and Kyiv have been drafting proposals for ending the war, including a basic framework and security guarantees for Ukraine.
