In his Christmas message on December 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the bravery of the people who are suffering the war and called on them to persevere.
We have endured attacks and threats. Let's get through this winter because we know what we are fighting for," President Zelensky said in a video released on Christmas Eve.
In the video, Mr Zelensky stood in the darkness on the street with a Christmas tree and lightning behind him.
We believe that tears will give way to joy, hope will come after despair and life will defeat death, President Zelensky said.
He said that millions of people in Ukraine and around the world are celebrating Christmas. The president told Ukrainians who fled abroad: "We will bring freedom to all Ukrainian women and men."
Mr Zelensky said that after Russia's attacks on the country's energy infrastructure, streets and houses may not be as bright as usual this year. But no Russian drone or missile can disrupt the Christmas spirit.
And even in complete darkness, we will find each other to hug tightly. And without a heating system, we would have heated it with a tight hug. We will not wait for a miracle, we will do it ourselves" - Mr. Zelensky said.
In Ukraine, both December 25 and January 1 are official Christmas holidays, of which January 7 is the Christmas of mainstream Christianism.
For his part, explaining the military campaign in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has no choice but to protect its interests and people.
I believe we are on the right track. We are protecting the interests of our country, the interests of our citizens and people. We simply have no choice but to protect our citizens, President Putin said on Rossiya 1 channel on December 25.
The Russian leader reiterated that Moscow has been trying to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis since 2014, but Kiev - directed by the West - has shown unwillingness to negotiate.
The policy of our geopolitical opponents is to divide Russia - historic Russia. dividing to govern is something they always try to do, Putin said, stressing that Moscow has another priority for the goal of unity of the Russian people.
President Putin affirmed that Russia is still eager to discuss "some acceptable solutions" with all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
In the latest developments in the war, three Ukrainian emergency service personnel were killed on December 24 by blasting while clearing bombs and mines in parts of Kherson province.
All three have served in the emergency and rescue team of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Zhytomyr province and were on duty to clear mines in Kherson province, the Zhytomyr Emergency Service said on Facebook.
Russia controls most, not the entire Kherson region. By mid-November, Ukrainian forces had recaptured the city of Kherson - the administrative center of Kherson province - and several other areas in the province.
The US State Department estimated in early December that about 160,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land needed to be tested for explosives.
We believe this will be one of the biggest challenges to bombs, mines and unexploded materials since World War II, the US State Department said.
On December 24, Ukrainian authorities accused the Russian attack of killing at least 10 people in the city of Kherson. Moscow, meanwhile, blamed Ukrainian forces for the attack.
