Russian Shelling Kills Four in Southern Ukraine on Christmas Eve

Russian shelling in southern Ukraines Kherson region killed four people, including an elderly couple, on Christmas Eve, injuring nine others and causing widespread damage.

Russian shelling in southern Ukraine's Kherson region claimed the lives of four individuals on Sunday, including an elderly couple in their 80s who perished when their apartment building was struck. The relentless barrage resulted in injuries to nine others, including a 15-year-old, and sparked fires in residential areas, a private medical facility, and a local gas pipeline, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional military administration.

No Holidays for the Enemy

Andrii Yermak, the chief of the Ukrainian president's office, took to social media to denounce the attack in Kherson, emphasizing that there are no holidays for the enemy as long as they continue to kill Ukrainian citizens and occupy their land.

Kherson Under Fire

The shelling in Kherson reached the heart of the region's capital city, also named Kherson. This assault occurred as Ukraine prepared to officially celebrate Christmas for the first time on December 25, having previously observed the holiday on January 7. The shift in date was a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, prompting some Orthodox Ukrainians to mark Christmas on December 25 last year.

Shifting Christmas Celebrations

The Russian Orthodox Church adheres to the Julian calendar, which places the celebration of Jesus' birth on January 7. In Kyiv, the Monastery of the Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, held its Christmas service on January 7 this year, but notably, the service was conducted in the Ukrainian language for the first time in Ukraine's 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union.

Zelenskyy's Christmas Message

In July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed legislation moving the public Christmas Day holiday to December 25. However, one of Ukraine's two competing Orthodox church organizations continues to observe the January date as dictated by the Julian calendar. To mark Christmas Eve on December 24, Zelenskyy delivered a heartfelt address to the nation, filmed in front of the illuminated St. Sophia Cathedral in central Kyiv. He reassured Ukrainian soldiers fighting against Russia's invasion that "step by step, day by day, the darkness is losing."

Attacks Across Ukraine

Kherson was not the sole region targeted by Russian forces on Sunday. Overnight, Russian forces launched 15 drone strikes, with 14 of the Iranian-made Shahed drones being successfully destroyed over various regions in Ukraine. Additionally, Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region resulted in injuries to two individuals across 20 towns and villages, as reported by Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Incident in Russia

In Russia, a man was injured in the Bryansk region after a village near the Ukrainian border came under fire, according to the region's governor, Alexander Bogomaz.