Ukrainian FM: Russia’s Christmas attack exposes fake peace claims coming from certain officials

The massive bombardment of Ukraine by Russia on Christmas Day, on 25 December, was Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s response to politicians who had spoken of an illusory Christmas truce, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Russia continues its deliberate daily air attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure. Since October 2022, it has systematically targeted Ukraine’s energy facilities with extensive missile and drone assaults, aiming to disrupt civilian life, particularly during the winter months.

According to Sybiha, during the latest strike, one of the Russian missiles even flew over the airspace of two other countries, emphasizing that Russia poses a threat not only to Ukraine.

“Another massive Russian strike on Ukraine’s energy system. This Christmas terror is Putin’s response to those who talked about an illusory Christmas truce,” he said.

On 11 December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he had a phone conversation with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine.

In response to the call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that discussions about the war Russia is waging against Ukraine cannot take place without Kyiv’s involvement.

On the same day, Orbán stated that he had proposed a “Christmas ceasefire” and a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, which Kyiv rejected.

Ukrainian Presidential Communications Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn said that Hungary didn’t hold such a discussion with Ukraine. He stressed that negotiations for a large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which both sides hope to complete by the end of the year, were ongoing for two weeks.

However, on 25 December, Russia launched over 70 missiles and more than 100 attack drones, intentionally striking Ukraine on Christmas Day, said Zelenskyy.

Due to Russia’s missile attack on Ukraine, Poland put its combat aircraft on alert. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces noted that the region’s situation is being monitored around the clock.

A worker at one of DTEK’s thermal power plants, Dmytro Petlenko, was killed in the strike. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest energy company, has revealed that he was 51 years old and he dedicated over 30 years to his energy profession.

“Eternal glory to the energy worker who gave his life for light,” the company said after the attack.

He had worked for a long time at the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant. Following Russian forces’ occupation of Enerhodar, he was employed at another of the company’s power plants.

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