Today is Christmas day and it also marked the tenth month into Russia’s war on Ukraine – a deadly war that caused misery of epic proportions. And in these circumstances, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Ukrainians to have “patience and faith” in the Christmas address. He told his people to stand strong in the face of a cold winter and much more hardship ahead. The address came as Russia launched multiple deadly missile strikes on Kherson on Christmas Eve, killing at least 10 and injuring many more. Through his words, Zelensky described the strikes as “killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure.” Hours before Zelensky delivered his Christmas address, a series of deadly Russian strikes slammed into the city of Kherson, where apartments and medical facilities were among the buildings hit, a total of 16 people had been killed in 71 Russian attacks across the wider Kherson region on Saturday, including three state emergency workers who were killed during demining operations. In November, Russia’s military retreated from Kherson city, the only regional capital it had captured since the invasion began, in a major setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since then, Russian forces have stationed themselves across the river from Kherson and regularly shell the city from there. In his Christmas speech, Zelensky admit to a destructive holiday season in which significant pain was caused. Addressing the Ukrainian people directly, he said the country would sing Christmas carols louder than the sound of a power generator and hear the voices and greetings of relatives “in our hearts” even if communication services and the internet are down. Zelensky concluded: “We will celebrate our holidays! As always. We will smile and be happy. As always. The difference is one. We will not wait for a miracle. After all, we create it ourselves.”
