Seven people were killed in Russian air strikes on Kherson on Christmas Eve

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Ukrainian authorities said at least seven people were killed and 58 wounded after Russian air strikes on the city center of Kherson on Christmas Eve.

“The enemy has been mercilessly attacking the residential quarters of the city of Kherson all day, 36 raids were recorded, Russian shells hit vital infrastructure facilities, kindergarten, school, hospital, shops, factory, private houses and apartment complexes,” Yaroslav said. Yanushevich, head of the Kherson regional military department, posted on Telegram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks, describing them as an act of “terrorism”.

“These are not military installations,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, adding that the attacks were “killings for intimidation and fun.”

He added, “The world must see what absolute evil we are fighting.”

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This comes after Zelensky warned of a new wave of Russian attacks during Christmas.

In his Friday evening speech after returning from a trip to the United States, the Ukrainian president said: “With the holiday season quickly approaching, Russian terrorists can again intensify their activities,” he said. “They have no regard for Christian values ​​or any values ​​for that matter.”

Saturday marks ten months since the start of the Russian invasion.

A rescue worker helps an injured man after Russian bombing of Kherson, Ukraine

/ AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine has faced an onslaught of Russian artillery, missile, shelling and drone attacks since early October, most of it targeting energy infrastructure in a bid to cut electricity and heating services as the bitter winter progresses.

The bombing has been particularly intense in Kherson since the withdrawal of Russian forces and the recapture of the city by the Ukrainian army in November.

Earlier on Saturday, the governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said two people had been killed and five wounded in shelling there over the past day.

The deaths occurred in the city of Korachov, which has a population of about 20,000 and is located 18 miles west of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk.

Dnipropetrovsk region governor Valentin Reznichenko said that about 60 shells hit three communities overnight in the Nikopol region.

The settlement of Stepny, on the outskirts of Zaporizhia, was also bombed, but no details were available on casualties, according to Governor Oleksandr Starukh.

Ukrainian forces had already repulsed attacks on at least 17 eastern settlements on Friday.

AFP via Getty Images

And the Ukrainian authorities added that the Kremlin forces launched 12 missile and air attacks, including civilian targets, far from the front lines in eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

The exiled mayor of Melitopol in the Russian-occupied south-in-exile said more Russian troops had been brought into the city and they had worked to strengthen the fortifications in recent days, and residents could now only leave on foot.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in its daily news release on Saturday that Russia has “probably limited” its long-range missile attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure to around once a week due to its cruise missile limitations.

The ministry added that Russia had reinforced its forces in Ukraine with tens of thousands of reservists since October.

“Despite the mitigation of the immediate personnel shortage, the shortage of munitions likely remains the main limiting factor for Russia’s offensive operations,” the report said.

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