Ukraine says it shot down Russian fighter jets and drones because the nation formally marks Christmas

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s air power on Monday reported that it shot down two Russian fighter jets throughout the evening together with two cruise missiles and 28 Shahed-type drones.

The report mentioned the assaults have been geared toward southern and central areas of Ukraine, however that no casualties have been instantly recognized. It mentioned that 31 drones have been launched in all, however particulars of what the three that weren’t intercepted might have struck weren’t given.

A abstract from the Ukrainian presidential workplace mentioned that one civilian was killed and at the very least 4 wounded in Russian assaults over the earlier 24 hours. The loss of life occurred within the city of Chornobaivka within the Kherson area, which is partly beneath Russian management and experiences each day preventing.

Ukraine noticed Christmas on Monday, the primary time the nation has formally marked the vacation on Dec. 25 slightly than the Jan. 7 date adopted by some Orthodox international locations, together with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed laws in July to maneuver the general public vacation’s date.

Ukraine is predominantly Orthodox Christian, however the religion is split between two church buildings, one in every of which had lengthy affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didn’t acknowledge the authority of the Russian church and had been considered schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2018 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy’s prime authority.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was a department of the Russian church, introduced in 2022 after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that it was breaking ties with Moscow and regarded itself autonomous. However, its parishes proceed to observe the identical liturgical calendar because the Russian church and can observe Christmas on Jan. 7.