Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave his Christmas greetings to the nation in his nightly address as the country officially marks the second Christmas held on the revised 25th of December day, and the third Christmas in total since Russia’s invasion.
Zelenskyy’s Christmas Eve address took a slightly different tone than normal as the Ukrainian leader attempted to instil hope into a nation battered by three years of brutal Russian onslaught.
The Ukrainian president officially marked the religious occasion and gave his greetings to the people.
Ukraine is observing Christmas on the 25th of December for only the second year. In July of 2023, Zelenskyy signed legislation that changed the occasion’s celebratory date from 7 January to 25 December, to bring the holiday in line with the majority of other European countries and distance Kyiv from the later date followed in Russia.
In his address, Zelenskyy slammed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, incorporating a direct quote from the Russian leader’s recent remarks that implied the war was ‘exciting’ to him.
“For some, life feels “boring and lacking excitement.” These words are proof of how far they (Russians) are from God, from Christianity, and from true faith,” said Zelenskyy, quoting Putin in Russian.
Zelenskyy says all his nation wants is to celebrate the festive holiday as it ought to be celebrate, in safety, “Our great Ukrainian family cannot fully celebrate it the way we would like to, the way it should be celebrated.”
“All we need is to live peacefully on our own land, to see the sun, our sky, and in it – a Christmas star, not Iranian Shaheds and Russian missiles,” continued the Ukrainian leader.
And despite Ukraine observing the religious holiday, the Kremlin’s bombardment of its neighbour did not stop.
Zelenskyy urged the people of Ukraine to remain united, standing side-by-side, as they fight this injustice.
Attacks on Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve
Russian forces struck the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve. The attack targeted a four-story residential building injuring more than a dozen civilians, according to regional Ukrainian officials.
The Head of the Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, Oleksandr Vilkul stated that the strike was carried out with ballistic missiles.
“Ballistics. The ‘high precision’ monsters hit a four-story residential building with 32 apartments. We are all already on site, emergency services are working. Unfortunately, we are preparing for bad news,” warned Vilkul.
Ten of the injured were hospitalised of which at least four are in critical condition. A sizeable amount of those wounded in the strikes were senior citizens, ranging from 50 to 78-years of age.
“A woman was pulled from the rubble alive and conscious but suffered from crush syndrome” said Vilkul.
He added that she spent more than four-hours buried under the rubble as the debris clearing operation was conducted by hand, as to not accidentally injure her.
The official added that she has been transported to a nearby hospital where she is be receiving medical attention.
Ukrainian forces thwart Russian UAV attack in Khmelnytskyi
Kyiv’s air defence forces destroyed two Russian drones in Ukraine’s western region of Khmelnytskyi on Tuesday.
The blast wave blew windows out, destroyed fences and doors of houses in the near vicinity.
Valentyna, a resident in the area says her home was damaged but she was able to seek refuge in a relative’s house during the attack.
“The walls are the most important thing. There are only windows and flowerpots on the ground. I used to sleep here. I just fell asleep, and the alarm started. I didn’t hear it”.
Local tradesmen say the damage on infrastructure was minimal, with some electricians saying the repair job would take no more than 30-minutes to an hour, thanks to the brave troops who identified the danger and reacted swiftly.
Russian troops press on in Donetsk
The attack came as Russia is trying to seize a bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, Ukraine’s military said.
While no immediate threat of Russian forces storming Kherson is reported, Ukraine remains cautious of possible large-scale advances by Moscow in the region.
The Russian army also reportedly made advances in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine announced that Russia unleashed 60 drones in an overnight attack from Monday into Tuesday, 36 of which were shot down and 23 were blocked using electronic warfare measures.
The Ukrainian Air Force clarified in a statement posted on Telegram that its air defence systems shot down Russian drones over eight of its regions.
Moscow is exerting pressure on the 1,000-kilometre front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, nearly three years after its all-out invasion.
In recent months, Russia has been launching nearly daily drone attacks, aiming to exhaust Ukraine’s air defences and strike critical infrastructure.
The US has allocated over $250 million (€240 million) to boost Ukraine’s missile production. Italy has also pledged continued military support to Kyiv through 2025.
Meanwhile, Ukraine received $1 billion (€960 million) from the UK and Japan via the World Bank DPL programme, which will be used for social, humanitarian and economic purposes rather than military needs.
