Russian forces rain 1,000 shells on Kherson in 40 minutes: two men killed, 11 injured

Russian forces launched a devastating hour-long attack on Kherson on the morning of December 20, 2024, killing two men and wounding 11 others, reported Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration.

“This morning, the Russians unleashed real hell in Kherson, starting a large-scale bombardment of the city at 05:00,” he said

Russian forces employed both cannon artillery and multiple rocket launchers in their coordinated assault on Kherson and nearby settlements during the hour-long attack.

Within only just 40 minutes, approximately 1,000 shells struck Kherson, hitting every district, Prokudin reported. The Kherson Oblast Military Administration also noted that Russian forces deliberately targeted residential areas, social facilities, and critical infrastructure.

The attack damaged over 30 high-rise buildings, 15 residential houses, multiple vehicles, garages, outbuildings, the railway station, police facilities, and several medical and educational institutions.

The assault left seven men and four women with explosive injuries, shrapnel wounds, and concussions. Medical personnel have hospitalised all victims, with one person in critical condition.

ZMINA consistently reports on the ongoing international crimes in the Kherson Oblast. 

By way of background, the United Nations has officially recorded that the Russians have killed 12,300 Ukrainian civilians and injured over 27,800 others since February 2022.

UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told the UN Security Council on December 20 that Russian long-range weapons caused the majority of civilian casualties. These attacks accounted for 42% of civilian deaths and injuries in November, marking a significant increase from previous months.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Russian aerial bombings in 2024 have proven particularly deadly. Between January and November, these attacks killed 341 civilians and injured 1,803 others – three and six times higher than the previous year’s figures, Nakamitsu reported.

Ukraine urges the international community to unite in restoring global security under the UN Charter and strengthen sanctions against Russia to enforce compliance with international law. Following Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, Ukraine has pursued the liberation of its territories within its internationally recognized 1991 borders, while developing comprehensive reintegration strategies and policies for all liberated areas.

Over 1,300 Russian military companies and 2 million industry workers still operate, many of them without international restrictions, a member of the Sanctions Policy Working Group of the Crimean Platform Expert Network, Bohdan Bernatskyy, told at the Third Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform in Riga.

Financial Times reported that 2022 imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU have reached a record high, despite the bloc’s efforts to reduce its dependence on gas from the aggressor state.

According to data from commodity data provider Kpler, as of mid-December, Europe had imported a record 16.5 million tonnes of Russian LNG, exceeding last year’s imports of 15.18 million tonnes. This figure surpasses the previous record of 15.21 million tonnes imported in 2022.

In the meantime, the US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood, during the UN Security Council meeting on December 20, accused China of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine. He highlighted that Beijing’s actions contradict its claims of pursuing peace and emphasised that China’s support for Russia goes against the principles of the UN Charter.

Wood stated that China continues to supply Russia with dual-use goods that bolster its defence industrial base. These include materials for bomb production, machinery parts and equipment for weapon factories, and drone and missile technologies.

He stressed that Russia uses Chinese-made products to attack civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine. Moreover, Chinese companies are reportedly assisting Russia in developing and manufacturing long-range drones.

On December 20, Euractiv reported that the Bulgarian parliament has refused to approve the signing of a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Boyko Borissov, former Prime Minister and leader of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, who had previously supported the initiative, has changed his position.