Odesa Christmas tree stands in defiance after Putin’s men blitz Odesa | World News
Odesa showed its defiance by keeping its city centre Christmas tree lit up after an apartment block was blitzed by Russian missiles.
The attack on Friday killed two and injured 15, including two young children, as Vladimir Putin’s forces unleashed one of their largest air attacks on several cities.
Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Odesa were all assaulted on December 29.
The blitz has been seen as revenge for Kyiv’s Storm Shadow strike on the Novocherkassk large landing ship this week.
Across Ukraine, 18 people were killed in the strike and more than 130 were injured.
Odesa oblast governor Oleh Kiper reported his city had suffered civilian casualties and heavy damage with two of the wounded in a serious condition.
‘All of the victims are currently receiving help in the city’s medical facilities,’ he told the Kyiv Independent.
He said that prior to the missile attack the city had been targeted by a Russian drone strike although all 10 of these had been shot down by defence systems.
But despite the adversity, the spirit of the Odesan people was shown in the Christmas tree remaining lit despite everything around it.
Sarfaz Akram tweeted: ‘In the face of adversity, the residents of the Odesa apartment complex illuminated a Christmas tree at the heart of the damaged courtyard, symbolising resilience and unity during challenging times.’
Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian ‘terrorists’ had ‘used nearly every type of weapon in [their] arsenal’ in the assault.
The Ukrainian president accused them of targeting a maternity hospital, school and residential buildings in the barrage.
He said: ‘A total of around 110 missiles were fired against Ukraine, with the majority of them being shot down.
‘Unfortunately, there have been fatalities and injuries as a result of the strikes. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
‘We will surely respond to terrorist strikes. And we will continue to fight for the security of our entire country, every city, and every citizen. Russian terror must and will lose.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
