Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast kill at least 1

Russian forces fired upon Kherson Oblast, killing at least one person, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Dec. 26.

One attack targeted the village of Mykilske around 12 p.m. local time, damaging around 10 residential buildings. Under the rubble of one building, rescuers found the body of a 71-year-old man.

Earlier around 10:40 a.m., Russian troops fired upon the village of Tiahynka. The attack inflicted injuries "incompatible with life" on one person, according to Prokudin. It is not clear whether the victim is still alive.

“Prosecutors are taking all possible and appropriate measures to document the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against the civilian population,” the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office wrote on Facebook following the midday strike.

Russian attacks continued unabated over the holidays.

On the night of Dec. 25 and 26, Russia launched 19 Shahed-type drones at four regions in the south of Ukraine. Defense forces hit 13 drones although an unspecified infrastructure site was damaged in Odesa Oblast as well as an industrial facility and warehouses in Mykolaiv Oblast.

Russian forces also targeted 15 locations in Kharkiv Oblast on Dec. 26, killing one person and injuring another. Houses and other buildings were also damaged.

The previous day, Ukraine’s military shot down 28 out of 31 Shahed-type drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight on Dec. 25.

Ukraine finally moves to fortify front line, but could it be too little too late?

“If you want to live, dig.” The words, often spoken by Ukrainian troops, are universal advice for trench warfare in general, but especially for both sides in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Normally expressed as advice to the individual soldier, the maxim now applies to the country as a whole.

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell