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Russian Shelling Kills 4, Injures 9 in Ukraine's Kherson

by VOA News

   At least four people were killed and nine others wounded in Russian
   shelling in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson over the past 24
   hours, regional authorities said on Sunday.

   Russian troops fired 71 shells at Kherson, hitting the city center,
   residential areas, medical and educational institutions and "critical
   infrastructure facilities," Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the
   regional military administration wrote on Telegram.

   Prokudin said an elderly couple in their 80s and a child were among the
   victims.

   Ukrainian forces recaptured Kherson following several months of Russian
   occupation in November last year, but Russian forces continue to shell
   the area.

   Separately, Kyiv said that Ukraine's air defense shot down 14 of 15
   Russian drones launched overnight.

   "Ukraine's Air Force and defense forces destroyed 14 Shaheds in
   Mykolayiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro, and Khmelnytskiy regions,"
   the Ukrainian Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app.

   Ukraine officials had warned that Russia would likely step up its
   attacks on Ukraine this winter.

   Authorities had also cautioned that the attacks could be focused on
   damaging Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

   The drones were launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsky in Russia's Krasnodar
   Krai district.

   There were no reports of damage or casualties as the results of the
   drone strikes that the air force said were mostly launched from the
   eastern coast of the Sea of Azov in Russia.

   There were 81 combat clashes on the front line over the past 24 hours,
   the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said, claiming that
   Ukrainian troops repelled 17 Russian attacks near Kupyansk district of
   the Kharkiv region and 11 assaults near the Bakhmut area in Donetsk
   Province.

   "Our soldiers are firmly holding the defense in the Avdiyivka area [in
   Donetsk Province], inflicting significant losses" to Russian forces,
   the General Staff said.

   There were no immediate comments by Russian authorities.

   Meanwhile, for the first time since 1917, Ukraine plans to celebrate
   Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7, the date that Russia
   celebrates.

   The move of the holiday reflects another Ukrainian cultural shift away
   from Russia.

   While both Russia and the West use the Gregorian calendar, Russia still
   follows the Julian calendar for some religious practices. Kyiv's switch
   is a sign of its continuing effort to align itself with Europe.

   In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
   Saturday that as the week before Christmas ends, Ukraine remains
   strong. He cited the downing of three Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber
   aircraft Friday on the southern front, hailing it as a success in
   Ukraine's 22-month-old war against Russia's invasion.

   "This week once again demonstrated the effectiveness of bolstering our
   air defense. It is not only for protecting cities and villages from
   Russian drones and missiles but also for front-line operations," he
   said, adding that "the capability to shoot down Russian fighter jets is
   one of the keys to ending this war justly."

   The fate of the Russian pilots and crew members was not immediately
   clear.

   The Russian military made no mention of the incident.

   Zelenskyy thanked all the partners that support Ukraine's war effort.
   He expressed his gratitude to Germany for its military aid as well as
   to the Netherlands for an aid package of more than $110 million and
   Finland for an equivalent aid amount.

   He said Kyiv is awaiting the approval of a U.S. support package for the
   next year and added, "I am grateful to representatives of both parties
   for understanding that decisions need to be made."

   Zelenskyy also gave thanks to the U.S. for its new round of economic
   sanctions against Russia and its collaborators.

   He expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian soldiers in "combat
   brigades on all fronts, from Kharkiv to Kherson. At the border -- those
   who defend against Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, those
   who eliminate Shahed drones, and those who hold our frontlines. I thank
   each and every one of you!" he said.

   Meanwhile, Ukrainian and Russian troops are both facing an adversary of
   another kind on the ground, the British Defense Ministry said Saturday
   in its daily intelligence update on Ukraine: "exceptional levels of rat
   and mice infestation in some sectors of the front line."

   The rodents will "likely seek shelter in vehicles and defensive
   positions," the ministry said, which could also affect soldiers'
   morale, according to the report.

   The update said the jump in the rodent population is likely the result
   of this year's mild autumn, "along with ample food from fields left
   fallow due to the fighting."

   The British ministry also said the rodents could also gnaw the cables
   of military equipment, just as they did in the same region during World
   War II.

   Unverified reports indicate, the ministry said, that Russian troops are
   beginning to experience a growing number of cases of illness, which the
   Russian troops blame on the rodents.

   Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contributed to this report. Some
   material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence
   France-Presse and Reuters.