SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
Crews in Ukraine are cleaning up after a deadly attack on Christmas Day. Moscow launched some 70 missiles and more than 100 drones packed with explosives. They appeared to target Ukraine's energy grid. NPR's Brian Mann joins us now from Kyiv. Hi, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Good morning, Sarah.
MCCAMMON: So tell us about this Russian attack. What made it through Ukraine's air defenses?
MANN: Well, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says they were able to shoot down 50 of the 70 or so missiles launched Christmas morning by Russia. Ukraine also blocked most of those drones. They often used electronic jammers, causing them to crash, but at least 20 of these missiles got through. There were explosions and fires across Ukraine. One utility worker, an engineer, was killed.
In his statement on social media, Zelenskyy condemned this attack. He said it was clearly time for the holiday, called it inhumane and evil, but said this latest violence, and I'm quoting here, "will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas." President Biden also called the attack outrageous. And President-elect Donald Trump's incoming special envoy for Ukraine and Russia condemned Moscow's decision to attack yesterday. He said the U.S. is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region.
MCCAMMON: This is now the third winter of the war there, and whenever it gets cold, Russia seems to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure. How well is it holding up?
MANN: Well, this is clearly rattling the system. The biggest utility in the country said yesterday, Sarah, that this strike was the 13th large attack on the energy grid this year alone. Even before yesterday's missile launch, there were already rolling blackouts across the country. These explosions and fires caused more power outages. A lot of homes lost heat. Luckily, it's been a pretty mild winter here so far, by Ukraine's standards. Yesterday, Maxim Timchenko, the head of that big private utility, DTEK - he called for Ukraine's allies to help boost the country's air defense systems.
MCCAMMON: And, Brian, what are these attacks meaning for people's daily lives there in Ukraine?
MANN: Yeah. There's no question Ukrainians are weary. But if Russia's goal here is to make Ukrainians so miserable they lose the will to fight and defend their country, I'm not seeing evidence that's working. After yesterday's attack, I heard anger, not fear. People are remarkably resilient in Ukraine. They've adapted to this war. A lot of homes I visit have generators. They have stockpiles of fuel. I went out for some last-minute Christmas shopping yesterday and I saw families back out of the bomb shelters, celebrating Christmas, eating dinner. But I don't want to romanticize what's happening in Ukraine. The situation here remains very hard.
MCCAMMON: Now, just before Christmas, you visited the front lines in Eastern Ukraine, where the fighting is the most intense. How are things there?
MANN: Yeah, most military analysts think Russia has the advantage this winter on the battlefield. Russian troops clearly outnumber the Ukrainians. They have more artillery and shells. But Russian advances have been slow. Russia will fight for days just to take one small village. And the cost to Moscow in casualties, in men killed and wounded, appears to be staggeringly high. Ukraine, meanwhile, is fighting with very different tactics. They're retreating slowly, preserving as many soldiers' lives as possible. I spoke, Sarah, to dozens of Ukrainian soldiers near their front lines, and they say they're bone deep in exhaustion. They're frustrated, at times, by the lack of equipment. But they seem confident Ukraine's army can keep holding on.
MCCAMMON: That's NPR's Brian Mann in Kyiv. Thanks so much.
MANN: Thanks, Sarah. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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