Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, hitting a thermal power plant and forcing residents to take shelter in metro stations, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine’s air force reported that 78 air, ground, and sea-launched missiles, along with 106 Shahed and other drones, were deployed in the assault. It claimed to have intercepted 59 missiles and 54 drones, with 52 additional drones disrupted through electronic jamming.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.”
The strikes caused significant damage across multiple regions. In the Dnipro region, one person was killed, and heating services were disrupted for 155 residential buildings, according to Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba. In the Kharkiv region, 500,000 residents were left without heat, Kuleba added.
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed that Russia had targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in a “massive attack.” State energy operator Ukrenergo implemented preemptive power outages nationwide, leaving parts of Kyiv and other regions without electricity.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, reported that one of its thermal power plants was struck—the 13th attack on Ukraine’s power grid this year. CEO Maxim Timchenko called the attack “a depraved and evil act” on X.
In Kharkiv, at least seven missile strikes caused widespread fires, injuring three people, local authorities said. Mayor Ihor Terekhov urged residents to stay in safe shelters amid ongoing ballistic missile fire.
In Russia, debris from a downed drone ignited a fire outside a shopping mall in Vladikavkaz, in the North Ossetia-Alania region, killing one woman and injuring three others, regional Governor Sergey Menyaylo said. Security footage showed the explosion occurred outside the Alania Mall.
Meanwhile, four people were killed in Ukrainian shelling in the Kursk region, regional head Alexander Khinshtein said. Residential buildings and a beauty salon were reportedly struck in the town of Lgov.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated that it had shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, including Belgorod, Voronezh, and Kursk, as well as over the Azov Sea.
The attacks come as Ukraine continues to face ongoing assaults on its critical infrastructure. Energy Minister Halushchenko indicated that repair crews would assess the damage as soon as conditions allowed. In response to the attacks, preemptive measures were taken to stabilize the energy grid, but outages persisted across affected regions.
Both Ukrainian and Russian officials have escalated their rhetoric amid continued cross-border strikes, deepening the already tense conflict that has raged for nearly two years.
