On December 23, Russia launched missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, killing at least three people, including a child, and causing widespread power outages in many areas. The strikes focused on energy facilities in the west, according to information from Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The Ukrainian Energy Ministry confirmed that all regions have to take emergency power cuts, with almost all residents in Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi without power in the early morning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said airstrikes targeted at least 13 areas as people prepared for Christmas. He called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia.
Poland, a NATO member bordering western Ukraine, has deployed fighter jets with its allies to protect its airspace after strikes took place near the border area.
Russia has said it has attacked Ukrainian energy and military facilities and taken control of two more villages along the frontline. Moscow has not commented on the casualty information released by Kiev. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia had launched a total of 635 drones and 38 missiles, most of which were shot down.
In Russia, a drone attack from Ukraine caused a fire at an industrial facility in the Stavropol region. The Russian government also confirmed a fire at a fuel pipeline at the Taman port, Krasnodar region, but the fire was brought under control.
The attacks came just days after a US-led round of contacts with representatives from Ukraine, Europe and Russia to seek a solution to end the nearly four-year conflict. Russia continues to demand Ukraine's transfer of Donbas and significantly limits its military capabilities, which Kiev has denied.
