A firefighter stands in front of a burning house, which Ukrainian sources say was hit by Russian shelling on Orthodox Christmas Eve. Photo: Libkos/AP/dpa
“This is how they congratulate the occupiers on the upcoming Christmas!” the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv said on Friday on social networks. In the small town of Bakhmut, positions of the Russian troops were fired at with 120-millimeter mortar shells as a “gift”. “The resistance will continue until the last Russian invader on Ukrainian soil is killed!” the statement said.
Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in February. For the first time since the beginning of the war, Moscow announced a 36-hour ceasefire for the entire front for the Orthodox Christmas, which Kyiv rejected. During the ceasefire, Ukrainian authorities imposed an air alert across the country for about two hours on Friday. According to media reports, the trigger was several Russian Air Force aircraft that took off over neighboring Belarus.
(SDA)