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The Russian government launched what it announced was a \u201cmassive<\/a>\u201d attack on \u201ccritical\u201d energy targets in Ukraine on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n The major drone and missile assault on Kharkiv led to power cuts and outages across Ukraine, including in its capital Kyiv. Ukrainian defense authorities were initially mum on casualty estimates and figures.<\/p>\n \u201cThis Christmas terror is [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin\u2019s response to those who spoke about [an] illusionary \u2018Christmas ceasefire,\u2019\u201d Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign minister, posted<\/a> to social media website X on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, posted<\/a> that \u201cPutin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhuman,\u201d adding: \u201cEvery Russian massive strike takes time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of targets, but also of time and date.\u201d<\/p>\n On Christmas Day, Russia\u2019s government publicly touted the strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as a military success.<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning, Russia\u2019s Armed Forces carried out a massive strike with long-range precision weapons and strike drones on critical energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine that ensure the operation of the military-industrial complex,\u201d the Russian Defense Ministry said<\/a> on Telegram. \u201cThe strike\u2019s objective was achieved. All facilities were hit.\u201d<\/p>\n The human cost of the attacks was immediately apparent and chilling as those in the invaded nation marked the holiday almost three years into a war. Reuters reports<\/a> that \u201chalf a million people in Kharkiv region were left without heating, in temperatures just a few degrees Celsius above zero, while there were blackouts in the capital Kyiv and elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n More from Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n Best of Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for RollingStone’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n