In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, the attack left half a million people without water, electricity and heating in extremely cold weather, the regional governor said.
Ukrainians across the country were awakened by air raid warnings and told to evacuate as attacks began in the morning.
Kiev residents were evacuated from metro stations, and one local told Reuters he was angry and scared.
“Of course I want to go home and celebrate, but I was scared to stay at home and had to evacuate,” Sofia Litvinenko said.
Another Kiev resident, Oleksandra, said despite the attacks, “Christmas is not cancelled.”
She told Reuters she planned to enjoy traditional Ukrainian food and drinks with family and friends once it was safe to leave the shelter.
Ukraine’s state-run electricity company Ukrenergo warned Ukrainians that power outages could last at least until the end of the day.
Usage restrictions have been applied while we attempt to restore service.
