Russian shelling on December 24 killed at least three civilians and injured 32
Local Oblast Military Administrations and the National Police of Ukraine reported that on December 24, Russian troops conducted massive shelling of the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, and Sumy regions. As a result of the attacks, at least three people were killed, and another 32 were injured.
Aftermath of Russian shelling in Chernihiv Oblast. Photo credit: the National Police of UkraineZaporizhzhia region. Russian troops launched 705 strikes on 25 settlements in the region. Thus, 19 airstrikes targeted Zaporizhzhia and settlements in the Oblast, specifically Huliaipole, Novodanylivka, Ternuvate, and Vozdvyzhivka. Russian occupiers also attacked the region with 406 drones, mostly FPVs, shelled territories five times with multiple launch rocket systems, and carried out 275 artillery strikes.
Over the day, emergency services received 248 reports of damage to residential buildings, cars, and infrastructure facilities.
Five people were injured as a result of the attack on Zaporizhzhia.
Kharkiv Oblast. In this region, Russians used multiple launch rocket systems, guided aerial bombs, and drones. In Kharkiv, they damaged an apartment building, three private houses, two garages, and two cars. Three private houses were damaged in Zolochiv, and a car was damaged in the Kupiansk District. Destruction was also recorded in the Kharkiv and Lozova districts.
Photo credit: Kharkiv Oblast Military AdministrationIn Kharkiv, a 51-year-old man was killed as a result of a Russian attack. 15 people were injured in the city – 14 men and one woman. Two more residents of the Oblast were injured in the villages of Mytrofanivka of the Dvorichna hromada and Podoly of the Kurylivka “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements. In total, 17 people were injured in the region.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, reported that the number of people injured in a Russian attack on Kharkiv has risen to 15.
“In the city of Kharkiv, a 51-year-old man was killed, and 14 men and one woman were injured; in the village of Mytrofanivka of the Dvorichna hromada, a 64-year-old man was injured; in the village of Podoly of the Kurylivka hromada, a 56-year-old man was injured,” he wrote.
In Kharkiv, a multistory residential building, three houses, two garages, and two cars were damaged. In Zolochiv in the Bohodukhiv district, Russian attacks damaged three houses. In the Kupiansk district, a vehicle in Mytrofanivka was damaged by a strike, Syniehubov confirmed.
The Russian attack also damaged a car in Male Vesele and a service station in Podvirky in the Kharkiv District, while in Derhachi, a civilian company, a building, and a warehouse were hit. In the Lozova district, Russian forces damaged a house, warehouse facilities, and a car in Bashylivka.
Chernihiv region. The region met Christmas under shelling, particularly strikes on energy and industrial facilities. Due to Russian shelling, two people were killed, and another two were injured.
In Chernihiv, “Geran” type drones hit an enterprise and residential buildings. An apartment in a nine-story building was also affected, resulting in a fire and damage to parked cars. Some subscribers were left without electricity.
In the Snovsk hromada, an FPV drone hit an energy facility. A Russian drone also attacked a truck, killing the 62-year-old driver. Separately, the occupiers struck a food industry facility, where a 37-year-old woman was injured. In the Novhorod-Siverskyi District, an FPV drone hit a civilian car – the 39-year-old driver died, and the female passenger was hospitalized.
Kherson Oblast. Kherson, Antonivka, Sadove, Prydniprovske, Bilozerka, Stanislav, Beryslav, and other settlements were under attack. The Russian army struck residential neighborhoods, critical and social infrastructure, damaging two high-rise buildings, three private houses, an administrative building, and a civilian car.
Three people were injured over the day due to Russian shelling.
Sumy Oblast. In the Sumy region, Russian troops carried out 47 shelling attacks on 39 settlements. As a result of the attacks, five people were injured, including a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old young man.
In the Sumy hromada, a drone hit a car; in the Buryn hromada, a 53-year-old man was injured; in the Seredyna-Buda hromada – a female postal worker; in the Trostianets hromada – a 56-year-old woman.
Damage to residential buildings, cars, administrative buildings, and gas stations was also recorded.
Law enforcement officers are documenting the consequences of the shelling and have opened criminal proceedings under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – violation of the laws and customs of war.
To provide background, in total, over almost four years, Russian military shelling has officially killed more than 14,500 people in Ukraine.
After Russia’s attack with missiles and combat drones on the night of 22-23 December, Colonel Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Air Force of Ukraine, pointed out the necessity to strengthen Ukrainian air defence both with systems themselves and with missiles. He also called on the partners of Ukraine to help strengthen Ukrainian air defense.
“Because some systems are standing idle with no missiles at all,” the Air Force spokesperson stated.
Previously, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated in an interview with the Zeit newspaper that there are still no signs from Moscow of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest in ending the war against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo has urged Ukraine and Russia to find the “courage” to hold direct talks to end the war during his first Christmas remarks to crowds in St Peter’s Square. However, not Ukraine that started the war in 2014, but Moscow launched its military operation to capture the Crimean Peninsula and later other territories of Ukraine with gross human rights violations.
As BBC News reported, he called for an end to conflicts around the world during his Urbi et Orbi address, which is traditionally delivered by the pontiff on Christmas Day to worshippers gathered in Vatican City.
“May the clamour of weapons cease, and may the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue,” Pope Leo said.
His plea comes as US-led negotiations on a deal to end the fighting continues. The US has sought to put together an agreement acceptable to both sides, but direct talks between Russia and Ukraine have not taken place during this latest round of diplomatic efforts. Ukrainian journalist Vitaliy Portnikov believes that U.S. President Donald Trump will fail in the “peace agreement, because, among others, Russia is imitating the “peace process”.
According to international law, if any territory of a state is under occupation, both countries are in a state of international war.
You may also want to read: From “soft power” to torture chambers: patterns of Russia’s seizure of new states based on Ukraine’s experience
King Charles III’s Christmas message has also invoked the wartime spirit, calling on communities to pull together in an increasingly divided world and urging people to get “to know our neighbours.”
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