Ukrainian authorities have reported that Odessa has been particularly badly affected by Russian bombing. Critical infrastructure such as electricity, access to drinking water and heating are severely damaged, exposing the population to extremely low temperatures. According to media reports, these latest attacks also affected other regions such as Kharkiv, Chernigov, Zaporizhzhia and Sumi, causing deaths and several injuries.
As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibiga reported on the social network, Odessa province reported one death and two injured, while Kharkiv and Chernigov also reported civilian deaths. In addition, in areas such as Zaporizhzhia and Sumi, people were injured by the impact of the bombings.
The Ukrainian official said that “Odessa is suffering the most these days,” referring to the deliberate damage the attacks caused to both energy infrastructure and civilian facilities, leaving thousands of residents without vital services as the cold weather continues. According to the media, Sibiga stated that “there is no military goal, only Russia’s intention to kill people because they are Ukrainians,” emphasizing that, in his opinion, these actions are in line with the provisions of the Genocide Convention. He called on the international community to increase pressure on Moscow and strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including the deployment of additional air defense systems.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern on his social networks about the continuity of Russian attacks including on Christmas Eve and Christmas holidays, which pose a constant threat to energy infrastructure and the civilian population. “Unfortunately, we are faced with barbarians who, after all, do not believe in God,” said Zelensky, according to the media, after a conversation with Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople. The president stressed: “This is what Russia has become, and it is not ashamed of it. On the contrary, they are trying to make their thirst for killing a pillar of national pride in Russia.” He also stated that Ukraine would continue to respond to the aggression “by all possible means,” with the aim of protecting the lives of the country’s residents and those suffering from the ongoing consequences of the war.
The media explained that since the beginning of the conflict, airstrikes and bombings in urban and strategic areas of Ukraine have resulted in an increasing number of civilian casualties and significant material damage. The cities of Odessa, Kharkiv and Chernigov, among others, have their basic supply networks severely compromised, increasing the population’s vulnerability, especially in adverse weather conditions.
The request to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses is part of a repeated call from the Ukrainian government, which has called on the international community to provide technology and equipment to mitigate the impact of the bombings. According to media reports, this need is intensifying in the context of successive waves of attacks on energy infrastructures, with a direct impact on the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of residents.
Ukrainian authorities insist that the current Russian offensive is characterized by the use of heavy weapons and targeted attacks aimed at displacing the population and weakening Ukrainian resistance. Records of casualties and damage in the affected provinces are constantly being updated, according to media, while calls from Kiev continue for the international community to take new measures of diplomatic and economic pressure against Moscow and to increase military support to Ukraine.
Institutional responses in Ukraine, according to the media, reflect the combination of measures on the internal front – such as relief operations and repair of critical infrastructure – and the intensification of diplomatic efforts at various levels to ensure greater international support in the face of Russia’s escalating attacks. Government officials continue to report on the humanitarian situation in the hardest-hit areas, as well as the need to increase foreign aid to sustain resistance in the face of ongoing bombing.
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