Russia strikes kill and injure several on Orthodox Christmas day in Ukraine

By Stefan J. Bos  

Ukrainian authorities say 11 people were killed and 10 wounded overnight in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk region. Five of the dead were reportedly children. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said the attack "quite simply targeted ordinary, private homes."

Yet even on Orthodox Christmas Day, fighting continued, with the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson being subjected Sunday to numerous shelling attacks from Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson region across the Dnieper River, witnesses said.

The head of the Kherson city administration, Roman Mrochko, said two people died in the attacks, and several others were injured.

Ukraine's air force claimed that air defense shot down 21 of 28 drones launched by Russia overnight. Russia allegedly also launched three anti-aircraft missiles against Ukraine.

It came as Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on the eve of Orthodox Christmas to back soldiers who, in his words, "with arms in hands" defend Russia's interests amid reports that overnight strikes killed.

"Heroic guys"

He added, "Many of our men, our courageous, heroic guys, Russian warriors, even now, on this holiday, defend the interests of our country with arms in hands."

Putin made the controversial remarks at a highly choreographed meeting with families of Russian soldiers who have died in Ukraine.

The attacks were apparently in retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes on the Russian border city of Belgorod that killed more than 20 people and, around Orthodox Christmas, reportedly forced the evacuation of more than 100 residents further away from Ukraine.  

Britain's Defense Ministry has warned that the Russian military will lose 500,000 personnel within the following year. It claims the average daily number of Russian casualties in Ukraine has risen by almost 300 during 2023.

It added in its latest assessment that "if the numbers continue at the current rate over the next year, Russia will have lost over half a million personnel in Ukraine."

Britain says Russia is continuing to struggle to establish air superiority over Ukraine. Officials noted that three Russian combat jets were shot down just before Christmas, and that affected ground forces' tactical objectives later in the month.

However, Ukraine is also losing many troops, and it is believed that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been killed and injured on both sides in Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two.