On Monday, 6 January, Orthodox Christian Russia celebrated Christmas Eve — including with terrorist attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
Below are images of what this holiday season looked like in Ukraine, with photos from our Christmas Eve, 24 December, to Wednesday, 8 January — images from cities that are far from the frontlines.
Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia. All of them are bombed daily — it’s just not news any more.
On Monday, 6 January, there was a horrific attack on civilians of Kherson. What did we see in the news? “Bus under attack in Kherson. One dead, eight injured”.
The reality of life in Kherson is: “The Russian army killed two people and injured 17 during yesterday’s shelling of the Kherson region.”
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, reported on Telegram that the settlements of Molodizhne, Zelenivka, Chornobaivka, Antonivka, Daryivka, Poniativka, Naddnipryanske, Prydniprovske, Sadove, Komyshany, Bilozirka, Rozlyv, Romashkove, Dniprovske, Veletenske, Kizomys, Stanislav, Oleksandrivka, Shyroka Balka, Tokaryvka, Novotyahynka, Tyahynka, Olhivka, Lviv, Virivka, Mykolaivka, Monastyrske, Tomaryne, Sablukivka, Zmiivka, Chervonyi Mayak, Odradokamyanka, Zolota Balka, Dudchany, Vesele, Kozatske, and the city of Kherson came under enemy fire and were hit by airstrikes.
The Russian military targeted industrial infrastructure and residential neighbourhoods, damaging four private houses, a gas pipeline, a minibus and cars.
The war in Ukraine is far from over. If you think it is, that’s because people have become accustomed to us (Ukrainians) being killed, our cities levelled and our lives ruined.
Stop. Look. Listen.
What has been happening the past 16 days, from Christmas to date, is devastation and death.
I’m going to show you some images.
Just look. Don’t be lulled into thinking that the war is “dying down” or that it’s no longer relevant. Russia is ramping up the bombings and the terror. If we don’t pay attention now, we may soon find that the war in Ukraine is a global catastrophe.
Tuesday, 24 December, and Wednesday, 25 December
On Christmas Eve, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih. A missile hit a residential building, killing and injuring civilians. On Christmas morning. Russia targeted Ukraine’s electric, gas and water infrastructure in a massive attack.
(Photo: SVOJI of Kryvyi Rih)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Dnipro)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Dnipro)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Dnipro)
In numbers
- 106 Shahed drones;
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night;
- Two KN-23 ballistic missiles;
- 10 С-300/С-400 missiles;
- 12 Kalibr missiles;
- 50 Х-101/Х-55 missiles; and
- Four Х-59/Х-69 guided missiles
Thursday, 26 December
A guided aerial bomb hit a civilian home in Zlochev village in the Kharkiv region, killing civilians in their beds.
(Photo: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office)
(Photo: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office)
(Photo: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office)
In numbers
- 31 Shahed drones; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Friday, 27 December
An attack on civilians in the Kharkiv region saw two people killed in their home.
(Photo: National Police Office)
(Photo: National Police Office)
In numbers
- 24 Shahed drones; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Saturday, 28 December
A Shahed drone attack on Mykolaiv.
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Mykolaiv)
In numbers
- 16 Shahed drones; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Sunday, 29 December
Pokrovsk was shelled.
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Donetsk)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Donetsk)
In numbers
- 10 Shahed drones; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Monday, 30 December
The results of the Russian shelling of an apartment building in the Kharkiv district and bombing of Kherson.
(Photo: Kharkiv Regional Administration)
(Photo: Kharkiv Regional Administration)
In numbers
- 43 Shahed drones; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Tuesday, 31 December
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Kyiv)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Kherson)
(Photo: Ukraine National Police)
In numbers
- 40 Shahed drones.
- Six Iskander M/KN 23 ballistic missiles;
- One Х-47М2 Kinzhal aero-ballistic missile;
- Six X-69 guided missiles;
- Eight X-22 missiles; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Wednesday, 1 January
Russia launched a New Year’s Day drone strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing two people, wounding at least six others and damaging buildings in two districts.
This drone attack on Kyiv claimed the lives of two renowned scientists, Olesia Sokur and Ihor Zyma. The couple worked at the Institute of Biology and Medicine at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, conducting research in various fields of biology.
Olesia Sokur and Ihor Zyma
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Kyiv)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Kyiv)
In numbers
- 111 Shahed drones attacked 10 regions; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night
Thursday, 2 January
Eleven guided aerial bombs were dropped on Sepnohirka in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing civilians in their homes.
In Kramatorsk, a Shahed drone crashed into an apartment building. There was also an attack on civilians in the Kherson district.
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Donetsk)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Donetsk)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Donetsk)
In numbers
- 72 Shahed drones attacked 11 regions; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Friday, 3 January
Shahed drones killed and injured civilians in the Kyiv region.
There was also a horrific missile attack on Chernihiv, which among others, killed one of Ukraine’s great minds — Oleksiy Anatoliyovych.
Serhii Shumylo, the director of the International Institute of the Athonite Legacy, research fellow of the Institute of History of Ukraine, and associate professor wrote about this great loss:
“In my native Chernihiv, a close friend of my friends… Associate Professor of the Department of Philological Disciplines of the Chernihiv Regional Institute of Postgraduate Education, Oleksiy Anatoliyovych Galyonka, was killed in this evening’s missile attack on the outskirts of the city. He was 72 years old. In March 2022, as a result of Russian shelling of Chernihiv, his house burned down, but he survived. After losing his house, he was forced to live in a cattle shed, which he converted into a home.”
Recounting that March 2022 bombing, Anatoliyovych said: “We were bombed then. We were hiding in the cellar. It exploded strongly. I stuck my head out and saw that the verandah was on fire. I got out, stood there and watched the house burn. I realised that there was no way to return it, no way to save it. It was wooden, brick-built. My parents’ house...
“I feel sorry for the library. Four thousand volumes burned down: books, magazines, newspapers. I had been keeping it all since 1968. Our institute library was inferior to mine. There was also a collection of 40 embroidered shirts. Ancient embroidered shirts. And paintings. But now we can only remember it...
“When everything calmed down, I moved in with my brother. In the summer… I slept in the barn on the hay with Cleopatra the heifer. It was a chicken coop… That’s all you see me wearing now. A hat, a coat... I still wear it at home.”
Anatoliyovych survived that horrific attack, but this year, he sustained a shrapnel wound to the head during a triple rocket attack on the outskirts of Chernihiv and died. The explosions were so powerful that even on the opposite side of the city, the houses shook.
This has been going on for three years. Every day, innocent civilians are killed just because they are Ukrainians. This is impossible to forget and forgive.
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Kyiv)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Kyiv)
In numbers
- 93 Shahed drones attacked nine regions; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Saturday, 4 January
These photos show the results of Russia dropping guided aerial bombs on people’s homes in the Chernihiv region. Many people were injured. Buildings that were bombed included civilian homes, a hospital, an administrative office and a cafe.
In the Sumy region, a civilian apartment building was hit by guided aerial bombs.
(Photo: Ukraine National Police Office)
(Photo: Ukraine National Police Office)
In numbers
- 32 Shahed drones;
- Five C-300 missiles;
- Three Iskander M ballistic missiles;
- Three X-59/69 missiles; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Sunday, 5 January
The results of a guided aerial bomb attack on the Sumy region.
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Sumy)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Sumy)
(Photo: State Emergency Service of Sumy)
In numbers
- 103 Shahed drones attacked nine regions;
- Two missiles; and
- Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Monday, 6 January
Kherson region: A city bus filled with civilians was hit by a Russian drone. Russia uses small drones with explosives in Kherson to terrorise civilians. They fly into people’s apartments through open windows, they follow kids from school, they drop on to city markets and they target public transport vehicles full of people.
The video below contains extremely graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehT5MyhCPDU
Chernihiv region
(Photo: SUSPILNE_Chernihiv)
In numbers
- 128 Shahed drones attacked 11 regions;
- Two missiles; and
Guided aerial bombs all day and night.
Wednesday, 8 January
Russia struck Zaporizhzhia with aerial bombs.
(Photo: State Military Administration Zaporizhzia)
(Photo: State Military Administration Zaporizhzia)
(Photo: State Military Administration Zaporizhzia)
DM