Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that any steps to secure peace would have to involve the United States
AFP

Russia unleashed a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Christmas Day.

The attack left many Ukrainians without heat and power during the Christmas holiday, reported NBC News.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of the Ukraine, condemned the strikes as "inhuman" in a post published on X, emphasizing that the attack was intentionally planned to disrupt the holiday.

Zelensky's message read:

"Every massive Russian strike requires time for preparation. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a deliberate choice – not only of targets but also of timing and date.

Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred attack drones. The targets are our energy infrastructure. They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.

According to preliminary reports, our defenders managed to shoot down more than 50 missiles and a significant number of drones. Unfortunately, there have been hits. As of now, there are power outages in several regions. Power engineers are working to restore power supply as soon as possible.

I thank everyone who is working for the country, who is on combat duty, who is protecting our skies. We will restore the maximum. Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas."

Ukraine's forces intercepted over 50 of the 70 missiles and many drones, NBC News reported, but the attack caused significant damage to thermal power plants causing power outages in several regions, like Kyiv.

Zelensky declared that "Russian evil not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas," vowing resilience despite ongoing attacks targeting Ukraine's energy sector.

Since December 13, Russian strikes against Ukraine's energy sector have left 1 million Ukrainians in a temporary state of rolling blackouts while experiencing 23 Farenheit temperatures. The Ukrainian government said Russia has launched at least 11 large-scale strikes targeting their energy infrastructure.

Just weeks ago Zelensky huddled with European leaders to discuss "next steps" on Russia's war after president Vladimir Putin tested out it's new Oreshnik ballistic missile in Dnipro.

Originally published in Latin Times