Update: Death toll from Russian shelling of Kherson on Christmas Eve rises to 10
Russian shelling on downtown Kherson has killed at least ten and injured 55 civilians, 18 of which are in serious condition, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych.
No children reportedly killed or injured, Yanushevych said on national TV, as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda.
One of the rockets landed next to a supermarket in downtown Kherson, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, first deputy head of Kherson Oblast Council, said in a Telegram post.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said 66 cars were on fire after the shelling.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian attack on Kherson, saying that the attack is “terror, it is killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure.”
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the shelling of downtown Kherson “is not only another war crime, but also revenge on its residents who resisted” the Russian troops.
“Ukraine will be able to prevent such tragedies if it has more means of counter-battery warfare, more artillery and more long-range ammunition,” Reznikov tweeted.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on families in Europe, North America, and beyond to “spare a thought for Ukraine” while preparing festive dinners.
Russian forces have been heavily shelling the city and the region from across the vast Dnipro River after it was liberated on Nov. 11.
