Ukraine’s military said Monday its air defenses downed 28 of 31 drones that Russia launched during attacks overnight.
The Ukrainians air force said the drones were destroyed in several regions, including Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Donetsk.
The regional governor of Odesa, Oleh Kiper, said on Telegram that 17 of the drones were downed there, with falling wreckage of one drone damaging port infrastructure in Odesa.
Ukraine’s military also reported destroying two Russian missiles.
In his nightly video address Christmas Eve, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that this Christmas, the second in a row during Russia’s war on Ukraine, the most important element for Ukrainian families, is “not what dishes are on the table, but what people are at the table. And how precious it is to have them around.”
Zelenskyy remarked that Ukrainians’ values and wishes have changed since the onset of the war.
“How today it’s not so much about how we decorate our homes, but rather how we protect them and clean up the mess, sweeping the enemy out of our home. How we rejoice at seeing the first star in the evening sky and not seeing enemy missiles and ‘Shaheds’ in it,” he said.
For the first time since 1917, Ukraine is celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 instead of Jan. 7, the date that Russia celebrates.
Zelenskyy signed legislation moving the public Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 last July in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Moving the holiday reflects another Ukrainian cultural shift away from Russia.
While both Ukraine and the West observe the Gregorian calendar, Russia still follows the Julian calendar for some religious practices. Kyiv’s switch is a sign of its continuing effort to align itself with Europe.
Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.