Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has given a Christmas address calling on the world to “understand what absolute evil we are fighting against”, 10 months into the brutal war sparked by Russia's invasion.
Mr Zelenskyy, who spoke to the nation a day before Ukraine’s Christmas public holiday and ahead of the January 6 celebration marked by many Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, made the address after a series of Russian attacks on the southern city of Kherson.
Ten people were killed and 58 wounded in drone and missile attacks on the city, attacks Kyiv described as of no strategic value and acts committed “for pleasure”. He said Ukraine's endurance in the face of so many attacks represented a "Christmas miracle".
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The coffin of Valeriy Krasnyan is brought out of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv. Getty Images -
Repairmen work near a residential building damaged following a missile attack in Vyshgorod, outside of Kyiv. AFP -
An elderly man walks in front of a residential building damaged following a missile attack in Vyshgorod. AFP -
A boy kisses a dog while he charges his phone at the heating tent dubbed a Point of Invincibly in Bucha, Ukraine. AP -
A couple uses a laptop in the heating tent. AP -
Workers dig out a tire from the rubble of a destroyed storage building at a grain processing center so they can use it for repairs in Siversk, Donetsk region. Reuters -
The Chernihiv region found itself on the frontline of Russia's invasion in February, when Moscow's forces were attempting to quickly seize Kyiv. Getty -
Russia ultimately retreated from northern Ukraine to focus its attack on the east and south. Getty -
The city of Chernihiv on November 28, 2022 in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Getty -
A worker fits in new windows of a building in Chernihiv. Getty -
People receive food from AFAT - Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency in Chernihiv. Getty -
The people Chernihiv queue up for hot food. Getty -
Oleksandr Antonenko stands on a balcony of his apartment damaged by a recent Russian military strike in Kherson. Reuters -
Mr Antonenko and his mother Liudmyla inside their apartment recently damaged by a Russian military strike in Kherson. Reuters -
A woman walks in an underpass in Kyiv, on November 26, 2022. AFP -
Friends hug after the arrival of a train in the southern city of Kherson. Getty -
Residents sort through donated clothing at an aid centre in Kherson. Getty -
A Ukrainian soldier stands with a machinegun near Liman in the Donetsk region. AP -
Children attend a physical education class at Spilno School in Kyiv. Getty -
A woman embraces her friend, a soldier in the Ukrainian army, in Kherson. AFP -
Residents inspect a crater left by a Russian military strike in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters -
Resident Tetiana Reznychenko walks past a work by world-renowned graffiti artist Banksy, on the wall of a destroyed building in the Ukrainian village of Horenka. Reuters -
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. AP -
A fisherman sails his boat on the Dnipro as black smoke rises from an oil reserve in Kherson. AFP
Russia has relied on Iranian supplies of drones in recent months, after its own stockpiles were reduced due to the high intensity of the conflict, which is stretching the military capacity of both sides to breaking point.
After the Kherson attacks, Ukraine on Sunday called for tougher western action against Iranian drone manufacturers and their network of components suppliers, who have already been hit with sanctions.
As millions of Ukrainians suffered without electricity or heating — after a Russian campaign to destroy energy infrastructure amid freezing winter conditions — Mr Zelenskyy said that “even in complete darkness, we will find each other to hug each other tightly. And if there is no heat, we will embrace each other for a long time to warm one another.”
Much of Ukraine is struggling without heat or power in sub-zero temperatures after Moscow started targeting electricity and water systems nearly two months ago.
The UN's human rights chief, Volker Tuerk, has warned the campaign has inflicted "extreme hardship" on Ukrainians this winter, and he condemned suspected war crimes by Russian forces.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov took to Twitter, calling for more weapon and ammunition deliveries to Kyiv after the attack on Kherson.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but that Kyiv and its western backers had refused to engage in talks.
"We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions but that is up to them — we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are," Mr Putin told Rossiya 1 state TV in an interview aired on Sunday.
Mr Putin said Russia was acting in the "right direction" in Ukraine because the West, led by the United States, was trying to cleave Russia apart.
"I believe that we are acting in the right direction, we are defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people," Mr Putin said. "And we have no other choice but to protect our citizens."
