Russia terrorizes Ukraine with mass missile, drone attack against energy grid on Christmas morning

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia launched a mass aerial attack against Ukraine on Dec. 25, targeting cities across the country with missiles and drones.

The northeastern city of Kharkiv was among the hardest hit, coming under “massive fire” from ballistic missiles, according to local authorities. At least six people were injured, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Explosions were also reported in Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, and the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.

Russia launched 78 missiles and 106 drones, the Air Force said. Ukraine shot down 55 Kh-101/Kh-55/Kalibr cruise missiles and four Kh-59/Kh-69 missiles, as well as 54 Shahed-type drones and other types of drones, according to the report. Another 52 drones were “lost.”

“Every Russian massive strike takes time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of targets but also of time and date,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Multiple cities in Ukraine imposed emergency blackouts following the attack.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, reported that Russia had attacked its thermal power plants, “seriously damaging equipment.” The location of the facilities was not disclosed.

The Air Force reported that Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers had taken flight overnight, and later announced that a number of Kalibr cruise missiles had been launched from the Black Sea.

Poland scrambled fighter jets in response to the Russian missile threat in western Ukraine, the Polish Operational Command reported.

A series of explosions were reported in Kharkiv after the Air Force warned of a ballistic missile threat against the city. At least seven missile strikes targeted the city, Syniehubov said.  The attacks caused fires and damage to civilian infrastructure, he added.

Located only 30 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv has suffered relentless aerial attacks over the past two years of the full-scale war.

Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Dec. 24 announced that the city had put up holiday decorations and lights for the first time since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. The decorations are “a symbol of (Kharkiv’s) resolve,” Terekhov said.

The Russian attack on energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast killed one person, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

Energy infrastructure was also targeted in Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, according to local authorities. In Kyiv Oblast, drone debris damaged a cafe, three houses and 12 trucks, Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said.

The mass attack follows a ballistic missile strike against Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve. The missile struck an apartment building in the city, killing one civilian and injuring 15 more.

A few days before, Russia launched five ballistic missiles at Kyiv on Dec. 20, causing fires, casualties, and damage to several foreign embassies.

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure have intensified with the onset of winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also issued threats in recent days, promising “more destruction” for Ukraine and suggesting that Moscow could launch an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) against Kyiv.