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Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s energy system on Christmas Day, leaving more than 500,000 people without heat, water and electricity.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said that the attack was the 13th large-scale attack on the country’s power grid in 2024 and was “deliberate” and not a coincidence. “What could be more inhumane than this?” he wrote on the X.
He added that about 50 of the 70 missiles launched in the attack were intercepted, as was a “significant portion” of the more than 100 attack drones deployed.
Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on December 25 for the second time this year, after switching to the Western calendar last year. Kiev decided to stop celebrating Christmas on January 7 according to the Orthodox calendar in order to break away from Russian influence.
The attack left more than 500,000 people without heat, water and electricity, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, told Ukrainian state television news.
Temperatures across Ukraine are close to freezing.
Heating supplies were also cut to some areas in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions in western and southern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s power grid operator Ukrenergo urged consumers not to limit electricity use by turning on multiple appliances at the same time, adding that the system was still recovering from the December 13 Russian attack.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said its power station was damaged and a long-term employee was killed.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on respond.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that Zelensky had rejected his proposal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange for the Orthodox Christmas Day on January 7.
Ukraine denied having made such an offer and asked Hungary “not to manipulate” the war. On Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi described it as a “PR move” by Orban.
