'Deliberately chose Christmas': Zelenskyy condemns Russia's "deliberate and inhumane" missile attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia for launching a massive missile and drone attack on the festival of Christmas, targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure and described the assault as "inhumane."

He further emphasised that such attacks require deliberate planning and timing and are never "spontaneous decisions."

Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, "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."

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,… pic.twitter.com/GMD8rTomoX

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2024

"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," the post added.

Zelenskyy praised the efforts of Ukrainian defenders who intercepted over 50 missiles and numerous drones, vowing that Russia's aggression would not break Ukraine or spoil Christmas.

He wrote, "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," the post added.

Earlier on December 22, the Ukrainian Air Force reported an attack by Russian forces, involving 103 Shahed drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), launched from multiple locations including Bryansk, Millerovo, and Berdyansk.

Ukraine's Defence Forces repelled much of the attack, downing 52 UAVs and drones across several regions.In a post on the social media platform Telegram, the Ukrainian Air Force wrote, "The enemy attacked with 103 Shahed UAVs and drones of other types from the directions of Bryansk, Millerovo, Orel, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Berdyansk. The launch of an Iskander-M ballistic missile from Crimea towards the Kherson region was also recorded."

"The air attack was repelled by anti-aircraft missile troops, aviation, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defence Forces of Ukraine. It has been confirmed that 52 Shahed UAVs and drones of other types have been shot down in Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhia regions," the post added.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI.