KYIV, Ukraine — Air-raid sirens sounded in cities throughout Ukraine on Christmas morning after the authorities had been warning for days that Russia’s military planned another wave of missile attacks.
Through the fall and start of winter, Russian forces have fired volleys of cruise missiles and launched drones at Ukrainian cities, aimed at energy and heating infrastructure. Military analysts have said it is a Russian strategy of plunging the country into darkness and cold to demoralize the population.
The bombardments have typically come at intervals of about a week. The actions on Sunday that touched off the air alert could be either Russia firing missiles or sending planes into the air that set off false alarms. It unclear whether they were timed for the holiday or simply fell at a regular interval based on Russia’s logistics for firing the missiles.
Ukraine celebrates Christmas as a national holiday on Dec. 25 — in line with the Western calendar — as well as on Jan. 7, for churches observing the Eastern Orthodox religious holiday.
The air raid alert went into effect shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday and covered all regions of Ukraine.
In Kyiv, some residents said they heard explosions in the sky from air defense weapons. Because of the war and electricity deficits from the Russian strikes on infrastructure, the Ukrainian capital is mostly devoid of holiday lights and decorations. But the authorities set up a Christmas tree on a central square that is illuminated with generator-powered lights, so it has continued to shine even during the frequent blackouts.
In a Christmas Eve message, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine noted that the holidays “have a bitter aftertaste for us this year.”
“Dinner at the family table cannot be so tasty and warm. There may be empty chairs around it,” he said. “And our houses and streets can’t be so bright. And Christmas bells can ring not so loudly and inspiringly. Through air raid sirens, or even worse — gunshots and explosions.”
