Airstrike alerts ring out in Ukraine on Christmas Day: millions across the war-torn nation wake to wailing sirens as Putin’s jets take off from Belarus – after Russian shelling killed 10 in Kherson
- Air raid sirens sound throughout Ukraine on Christmas Day
- According to unconfirmed reports, the alarms were triggered by Russian jets in Belarus
- On Christmas Eve, Russia shelled Kherson, killing 10 and wounding dozens
Ukrainians in Kyiv and other regions across the country woke up this Christmas morning to falling snow and wailing air raid sirens.
Kyiv urged people to go to emergency shelters after the air alert was announced, while unconfirmed Ukrainian social media reports said the alert may have been called after Russian jets took to the skies in Belarus.
It comes as Russian shelling on Christmas Eve in Kherson killed 10 and wounded 58 in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as an “act of terrorism”.
The President of Ukraine delivered a defiant message of hope to his people this Christmas, vowing never to back down as his nation continues to be besieged by Russia.
Lisa Shtanko, 8, watches as a military vehicle drives past in front of her home in the town of Lyman two days before Christmas
Gleb Petrov, 14, looks on as he sits with his family in a basement in the town of Bakhmut in the days leading up to Christmas
Ukrainians in Kyiv and other regions across the country woke up to snowfall and air raid sirens this morning (after Russian shelling in Kherson yesterday)
An injured man stands on a street after Russian shelling on December 24 in the Ukrainian city of Kherson
In an address to the nation on Christmas Eve, Zelenskyy urged his compatriots to remain despite the absence of dead or exiled loved ones, power outages, destruction and the threat of shelling from a harsh winter.
Earlier on Christmas Eve, Vladimir Putin claimed at least 10 dead and 55 injured in the city of Kherson as Zelenskyy denounced the “terror” of the attack.
In his address to the nation, the President said: “Tears will be replaced by joy, despair will be replaced by hope and death will be conquered by life.
“We will celebrate our holidays! As always. We will smile and be happy. As always. The difference is only one: we don’t wait for a miracle, we create it ourselves.”
On the day that marked 10 months after the start of the Russian invasion, shells rained around a busy market and lit a fire in the southern port city that Kiev’s forces recaptured in November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a defiant message of hope to his people this Christmas, vowing never to back down as his nation continues to be besieged by Russia
For many Ukrainians, Christmas this year will be celebrated in the dark and cold, with constant fear of Russian attacks.
Historically, Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, like in Russia, had celebrated Christmas on January 7th.
However, in an attempt to further separate itself from the enemy, Ukraine’s Orthodox Church has allowed communities to celebrate Christmas on December 25 along with most of the western world.
Zelenskyy also shared a message on Telegram on Saturday condemning the recent Russian attack on Kherson.
He called the attack “terror…killing for the purpose of intimidation and pleasure”.
“It’s real life in Ukraine… The world needs to see and understand what an absolute evil we are fighting,” he said.
While today Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “100 percent” confident his forces would destroy the Pentagon’s most advanced air defense system that US President Joe Biden has promised to send to Ukraine.
“Of course we will 100 percent destroy it!” Putin said, referring to the Patriot missile battery, in excerpts of an interview broadcast on Russian television.