Russia strikes Kherson market on Christmas Day, killing market worker
The Russian military struck a market in the city of Kherson at around midday on 25 December 2025. They killed one person, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
“At around midday on Christmas, Russian terrorists launched a large-scale attack on central Kherson. In the middle of the day, the occupiers cynically struck the market where people were preparing for the holiday. As a result of numerous hits, market stalls have been destroyed,” Prokudin wrote.
Prokudin said that the attack killed a 47-year-old market worker who was at his workplace.
Emergency services reported that firefighters put out a blaze despite the threat of repeat strikes.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that a total of 61 combat clashes have occurred on the battlefield from the beginning of December 25, with the highest number recorded on the Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk fronts.
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.
“I haven’t seen those sanctions imposed, to be honest. For now, we assume Russia will continue producing Oreshnik. Thank God, it’s not yet capable of producing a lot of it, despite whatever claims it makes,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that if Ukraine’s Western partners, including the U.S., are making “many diplomatic efforts to end the war,” they should also press Russia not to deploy Oreshnik closer to Europe near Poland’s border.
