Ukraine: Zelensky condemns “inhumane” attack on Russia on Christmas Day

The attack in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, left half a million people without water, electricity or heat in bitterly cold weather, the provincial governor said.

Across the country, Ukrainians awoke to air raid alarms and were told to take shelter as the attacks loomed in the early hours of the morning.

Residents of Kiev took shelter in metro stations, one local told Reuters news agency that he was angry and scared.

“Of course, I want to be at home and celebrate, but we had to take shelter because it’s scary to stay at home,” Sofia Litvinenko said.

Oleksandra, another resident of Kyiv, said that despite the attack, “the Christmas holiday was not cancelled.”

He told Reuters that he plans to enjoy traditional Ukrainian food and drinks with family and friends once it is safe to leave the shelter.

Ukraine’s state energy company “Ukrenergo” has warned Ukrainians that power outages may last at least until the end of the day.

He imposed usage restrictions while trying to restore the service.