- Biden says he asked authorities for military help to Kyiv.
- He says the attack is aimed at cutting off people's access to heating in winter.
- Russia says it carried out a “massive attack” against “energy facilities.”
kyiv: Russia unleashed missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and cities in what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called an “inhumane” attack on Christmas Day, and US President Joe Biden condemned the attack as “shocking ” and promised to increase military aid to kyiv.
Nearly three years into the war, the attacks wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the area's governors said.
US President Joe Biden denounced the “outrageous” attack and said he had asked the US Department of Defense to push for a new increase in military aid to kyiv.
Half a million people in the Kharkiv region were left without heat, with temperatures just a few degrees Celsius above zero, while blackouts occurred in the capital kyiv and elsewhere.
“Today, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones,” he said.
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed it had carried out a “massive strike” against what it said were critical energy facilities supporting the work of kyiv's “military-industrial complex.”
“The objective of the strike was achieved. All facilities were hit,” he said in a statement.
Ukraine's military said its air defenses shot down 59 Russian missiles and 54 drones overnight and Wednesday morning.
Biden, who will be replaced by Donald Trump next month, said the goal of the attack was to “cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during the winter and endanger the security of their grid.”
Washington has committed $175 billion in aid to Ukraine. It is not certain that the flow will continue at that pace under Trump, who has said he wants to quickly end the war.
In Moldova, Ukraine's western neighbor, pro-European President Maia Sandu said a Russian missile passed through her country's airspace during the airstrike.
“While our countries celebrate Christmas, the Kremlin has chosen the path of destruction, launching attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and violating Moldova's airspace,” Sandu wrote on social media.
Moldova has witnessed several cases of drone fragments landing on its territory and missiles passing through its airspace.
Ukrainians celebrated their second Christmas on Wednesday, according to a new calendar, another step toward eliminating Russian influence.
Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, created in 2018, agreed in 2023 to move away from the traditional Julian calendar used in Russia, where Christmas is on January 7.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's energy sector since the spring of this year, damaging nearly half of its generating capacity and causing prolonged blackouts.
“Russia uses winter as a weapon”
Ukraine's air force said Kharkiv was attacked with ballistic missiles. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram that there was damage to non-residential civil infrastructure, without giving further details.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said the death occurred in an attack on regional electrical facilities.
“Since morning, the Russian army has been massively attacking the Dnipro region. It is trying to destroy the region's electrical system,” he said.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Facebook that Russia was massively attacking the energy sector and that there were restrictions on electricity supplies.
Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, said its generation facilities were attacked, with electrical equipment severely damaged, in the 13th large-scale attack on the energy sector this year.
“We call on all of Ukraine's allies to end this state-sponsored terrorism now by providing our armed forces with the air defense ammunition they need to protect essential energy infrastructure,” the director general said in a statement. from DTEK, Maxim Timchenko.
“Russia's Christmas gift to Ukraine: more than 70 missiles and 100 drones, targeting Ukrainian families celebrating at home and the energy infrastructure that keeps them warm,” said US Ambassador Bridget Brink.
“For the third Christmas season, Russia uses winter as a weapon.”
