Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said “this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.”
In a Christmas message marking the first time the country has officially observed the holiday on Dec. 25 rather than Jan. 7, Zelenskyy also referred to Ukraine’s claim to have destroyed a further three Russian fighter planes on Friday.
“The stronger our air defense, the fewer Russian devils will be in our skies and on our land,” Zelenskyy said, praising Ukraine’s “capabilities in negotiations with partners, capabilities in bolstering our sky shield, capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists. ”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The report said the attacks were aimed at southern and central regions of Ukraine, but that no casualties were immediately known.
A summary from the Ukrainian presidential office said that one civilian was killed and at least four wounded in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours.
The death occurred in the town of Chornobaivka in the Kherson region, which is partly under Russian control and experiences daily fighting.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed legislation in July to move the public holiday’s date.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didn’t recognize the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2018 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy’s top authority.
However, its parishes continue to follow the same liturgical calendar as the Russian church and will observe Christmas on Jan. 7.
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