Putin's 'Dark Christmas Eve' Gift to Kherson Blasted by Ukrainian Leaders

Ukrainian leaders expressed outrage on Saturday after Russia shelled the city of Kherson, leaving at least 10 dead and dozens injured.

The Christmas Eve attack reportedly killed Ukrainians who were shopping for the holidays, according to Kyiv officials. The latest attack from Moscow came exactly 10 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Kherson was conquered and occupied by Putin's forces by early March, shortly after the full-scale war began. Although Russia claimed to have officially annexed the Ukrainian city, Kyiv's forces retook Kherson in early November—as the region's residents cheered their victory and welcomed them back.

"Dark Christmas Eve in Kherson. russian invaders attacked the unconquered city with heavy weapons. Seven people who went out for Christmas shopping were killed and 35 were injured. #russiaisaterroriststate," Ukraine's Ministry of Defense tweeted Saturday. The post included images of burning cars in a downtown area and a blurred out body in the street.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky angrily condemned the attack on Twitter, and included un-blurred images, apparently showing dead Ukrainians who had been killed.

Warning: Tweets below contain images that some readers may find disturbing.

"This is not sensitive content – it's the real life of. Kherson. On the eve of Christmas, in the central part of the city. It's terror, it's killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure," Zelensky wrote. "The world must see what absolute evil we are fighting against."

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's Minister of Defense, called the latest Russian attack "another war crime," and shared photos of the destruction to Twitter as well.

"Barbaric shelling of Kherson by russian terrorists is not only another war crime, but also revenge on its residents who resisted the occupation and proved to the whole world that Kherson is Ukraine," he wrote.

The minister added: "Ukraine will be able to prevent such tragedies if it has more means of counter-battery warfare, more artillery and more long-range ammunition. Thus, russian murderers will be punished and driven out from Ukraine."

Zelensky had warned hours before the attack on Kherson that Ukrainians should brace for more Russian aggression.

"With the approaching holiday season, Russian terrorists may become active again," the Ukrainian president said in an overnight address. "Therefore, please heed the air raid signals, help each other and always take care of each other."

As of the time of publication, the death toll stood at 10 with some 55 injured, The Kyiv Independent reported. The Ukrainian publication, citing Kherson Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych, reported that 18 of the wounded were in serious condition.

Traditionally, most Ukrainians would celebrate Christmas on January 6 and 7, which marks Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Julian calendar used by many Orthodox and Eastern churches. In recent years, Ukrainians have increasingly embraced celebrating on December 24 and 25, as is the norm in Western Europe and the Americas. Both December 25 and January 7 are official state holidays, according to a Ukrainian government website.

"We celebrate today. Since the war started a lot of Ukrainians [have started] to celebrate now," Yuliia Herasymenko, a Ukrainian businesswoman living in Kyiv, told Newsweek on Saturday. She also forwarded photos from a Christmas church service she was attending.

The shift in holiday celebration among Ukrainians demonstrates another growing rift with Moscow. Russia celebrates Christmas on January 7, as Russian Orthodoxy is the most prominent religious fait in the country. Ukrainians are increasingly turning against and distancing themselves from any connections to Russia as Putin presses his war against them.

Moscow's latest attack came as Putin is reportedly preparing to double-down on his war effort. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, assessed that the Kremlin had been looking at a "new most dangerous course of action" since October. It added that it is now more likely that a Russian build-up in Belarus signals plans for a "renewed offensive."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian embassy for comment.