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What did the 25 December strikes leave behind?
Summary
A retrospective on Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the emergency blackouts that followed.
What did Ukraine wake up to after the Russian strikes of 25 December 2024? Looking back from the vantage of 26 December 2024, the picture was one of damaged power systems and emergency outages across several cities.
As reported at the time, Russia launched a series of ballistic missile and drone strikes on critical energy infrastructure in cities across Ukraine. At least two people were killed and 20 others were injured. The attacks caused widespread emergency blackouts.
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, condemned Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, over the strikes, calling the attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure inhumane.
A winter pattern
The strikes belonged to a broader campaign. During the Russo-Ukrainian war, winter attacks on district heating and electricity caused recurring energy crises in Ukraine. The blackouts of 25 December fitted that pattern: the targets were the systems that supply power and warmth in the coldest months.
The casualty figures and the extent of the outages were those reported as the attacks unfolded, and the blackouts were described as emergency measures across the affected cities.
