Zelensky condemns Russia's “inhumane” attack on Christmas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia made a “conscious choice” by launching a major attack on his country's energy infrastructure on Christmas Day.

Ukraine's air force said it detected 184 missiles and drones, but many were shot down or missed their targets.

He said there were casualties from the strikes, but did not give figures.

Moscow confirmed the attack and said its objective had been achieved.

The attack led to blackouts across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, where some residents took shelter in metro stations.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces had carried out a “massive strike” on “critical” energy facilities in Ukraine.

He added that the strike was successful and all targets were hit.

This is the 13th major attack on Ukraine's energy sector this year, the country's largest private energy company DTEK said.

In September, President Zelensky said that 80% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been destroyed by Russian bombs.

Responding to Wednesday's attacks, Zelensky said the timing of the attacks was a “conscious choice.”

He called them “inhumane” and said efforts were being made to restore power as soon as possible.

“Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas,” he added.

This is the second time that Ukraine celebrates Christmas on December 25. It traditionally follows the Julian calendar, similar to Russia, where Christmas falls on January 7.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv – Ukraine's second largest – the attack left half a million people without water, electricity or heating in extremely cold temperatures, the regional governor said.

Ukrainians across the country awoke to the sound of air raid alarms and were told to take cover as the attacks unfolded in the morning.

Residents of Kiev took shelter in metro stations, with one local resident telling Reuters she felt angry and scared.

“Of course, I want to be at home and celebrate, but we had to take shelter because it's scary to stay at home,” Sofia Litvinenko said.

Another Kiev resident, Alexandra, said that despite the attack, “Christmas has not been cancelled”.

She told Reuters she planned to enjoy traditional Ukrainian food and drink with family and friends once it was safe to leave the shelter.

Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrenergo warned Ukrainians that power outages could last at least until the end of the day.

It has imposed usage restrictions while it tries to restore service.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha described the strikes as “Christmas terror”.

He said a Russian missile had passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania, “a reminder that Russia threatens not only Ukraine.”

Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the strike and confirmed that a missile had been detected in the country's airspace.

Romania said it had not detected a missile in its airspace.

Elsewhere, four people were killed and five wounded by Ukrainian shelling in Russia's Kursk region, according to the region's acting governor.