• Russia attacked Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure on December 25, causing power outages.
• Zelensky described the Christmas Day missile and drone attack as “inhumane.”
• Mass attacks on Ukraine’s energy supplies were a hallmark of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

According to multiple reports, Russia launched an attack on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure on December 25, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called an “inhumane” move.

Zelensky said in a Telegram message that more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles and more than 100 attack drones, were fired at Ukrainian energy targets.

“Any major Russian attack takes time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of the goals but also of the time and date,” he said, as translated by the BBC.

“Today Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?”

In 2022, Ukraine’s Orthodox Church allowed Christmas to be celebrated on December 25, which was widely seen as a snub to Russia, which largely celebrates the holiday on January 7. Since then, much of Ukraine has followed suit.

On Wednesday, Zelensky shared several images of firefighters working to clear the damage in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Ukraine’s armed forces shot down at least 50 of the missiles and many of the drones, but there were power outages in several regions as a result of the hits, Zelensky said.

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Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko also said in a Facebook post that the country’s energy industry was under widespread attack, leading to power outages.

DTEK, Ukraine’s largest energy company, called the attack “cynical” and said it caused severe damage and forced energy systems to cut power in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa and Kiev regions.

The northeastern city of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest city – was the worst affected, according to its mayor Ihor Terekhov. He said there had been a series of explosions and massive rocket fire.

Four people were injured and much of the city was without heat as of 10 a.m. local time, he said.

A video shared on social media – which Business Insider could not independently verify – appeared to show air raid sirens going off in Kiev, while people reportedly sought shelter in subway stations.

Explosions were also reported in Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih and Ivano-Frankivsk, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Mass attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure were a hallmark of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Several mass strikes occurred throughout the year, and by November an estimated two-thirds of the country’s power generation capacity had been knocked out.

Representative for Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.