Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing from locals in Kyiv, who are taking shelter amid Russia's attack.

Nataliia Ziumchenko, 37, tells Reuters news agency she's feeling scared because she has a child.

"Of course, I want to be at home and celebrate, but we had to shelter because it's scary to stay at home, so we came to the shelter. We want peace."

Another Kyiv resident, Sofiia Lytvynenko, says she's very angry. "It's also very sad. We hope for better and that it will be over soon."

There's a glimmer of hope, though.

"Christmas is not cancelled," says Oleksandra, 28. She says Ukrainian traditional food and drink is "waiting for us at home".

"We will also visit some friends, godchildren. My children just need to get more sleep."

In bitterly cold Ukraine, attacks on power sites are now a regular occurrencepublished at 08:12 Greenwich Mean Time 25 December

08:12 GMT 25 December

Will Vernon
Reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Getty Images

It is bitterly cold this Christmas morning in Ukraine, and we’re already receiving reports of power cuts in several regions as the authorities try to limit the knock-on effects of the large-scale attack.

Strikes on power plants have become a regular occurrence in Ukraine. In September, President Zelensky said 80% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian bombs. Since then, there’s been no let-up in the shelling.

Repair crews have been working under pressure - and under fire - to keep the lights on in the country. Last week, on national Energy Workers' Day, Zelensky thanked those Ukrainians "working to bring light…and warmth to our homes".

He pledged to restore the damaged facilities. "But all of this is just the superstructure," continued the president, "at the foundation lies the daily heroism of people like you, your colleagues, and the entire energy sector. We are proud of you."

And Ukraine is coming up with innovative solutions to cope with the onslaught.

One state-owned company says it’s planning to build a hydroelectric power plant underground, to keep it safe from missiles and drones. Other companies are working on ground-breaking energy storage devices that can also be protected from the air.

But that takes time. In the short term, President Zelensky has said Ukraine urgently needs 10-12 additional "Patriot" air defence systems in order to keep its cities – and its power grid – safe from Russian attacks.

So far, Western countries have promised to provide far less than that.

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just responded to Russia's Christmas Day attack:

"Every Russian massive strike takes time to prepare. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a conscious choice not only of targets, but also of time and date.

"Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than 100 strike drones. The targets are our energy sector. They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.

"According to preliminary data, our defenders managed to shoot down more than 50 missiles and a significant part of the drones. Unfortunately, there are hits. As of now, there are outages in several regions. Energy workers are working to restore the power supply as soon as possible.

"Thank you to everyone who is currently working for the country, who is on combat duty, who is protecting our sky. Let's restore the maximum. Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas."

Image source, X

More reports are coming in about attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

In the Cherkasy region, in central Ukraine, local official Ihor Taburets reports that two Russian drones have been destroyed during the "massive attack on Ukraine".

Although there's no direct damage, Taburets says the country's energy system is in an "extremely difficult" situation, and power cut have been implemented.

In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, in western Ukraine, official Svitlana Onyshchuk says part of the area has also been struck. There were no casualties, but part of the region temporarily lost electricity, which was restored later.

Russia is "trying to destroy the region's power system", Dnipropetrovsk's regional head, Sergiy Lysak, says.

Writing on Telegram, he says the region has been "massively" attacked, and warns people to be in a safe place when the air raid alerts go off.

Earlier, we reported that Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, says this morning's large-scale attack is the 13th major attack on the Ukrainian energy sector this year.

It also announced electricity restrictions in Dnipropetrovsk, as well as Kyiv and Odesa.

Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, says Russia has struck its thermal power plants, causing "serious" damage to equipment.

It has announced electricity restrictions in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa.

DTEK says this is the 13th major attack on the Ukrainian energy sector this year.

At least six people have been injured by Russian air strikes on Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, according to the regional head, Oleh Syniehubov.

He says hits were recorded in three districts - Saltivskyi, Kyivskyi and Nemyshlyanskyi, with several fires in non-residential buildings.

A drone attack also caused a fire and damage to a house, he adds.

Will Vernon
Reporting from Kyiv

While many people around the world will be waking up to a peaceful and joyous day spent with family, for Ukrainians, Christmas morning began very differently: sirens, explosions, and destruction.

Here in Kyiv, alerts from the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces pinged incessantly on our mobile phones as they reported more and more missiles being launched at Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said its thermal power plants had been seriously damaged in the strikes and repairs were underway.

The majority of Ukraine’s power grid has been systematically damaged or destroyed by Russia in recent months, resulting in emergency blackouts in recent days in Kyiv, Dnipro and other Ukrainian regions.

Russia, it seems, is attempting to plunge Ukrainians into darkness on Christmas morning.

Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, is under a "massive" missile strike, according to the city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov.

He says a series of explosions have been heard, and there are at least three injuries, with two people in "serious condition".

Buildings have also reportedly been damaged. The city is in the north-east of Ukraine, close to the Russia border.

As Russia launches air strikes across Ukraine on Christmas Day morning, civilians in the capital, Kyiv, have been taking shelter in metro stations.

In the past hour, the Ukrainian air force warned of "enemy strike drones" heading to Kyiv from the north-east.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Due to Russia's "massive" attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the energy operator is restricting energy supply, says Ukraine's Energy Minister, German Galushchenko.

He says as soon as the situation permits, power companies will assess the damage caused.

He urges the public to wait for further announcements and warns: "While the danger lasts - stay in shelters."

Will Vernon
Reporting from Kyiv

Ukrainian cities have come under large-scale attack on Christmas Day morning from Russian ballistic and cruise missiles.

The energy minister German Galushchenko said: "The enemy is carrying out a mass attack on the energy system again."

He said restrictions on electricity supply have been put in place to cope with the strikes. A number of explosions rocked Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

There were preliminary reports from local officials of injuries. The city of Dnipro also reportedly came under attack.