The war in Ukraine did not stop at Christmas despite Russian President Vladimir Putin saying he was open to negotiations, with his forces launching more than 40 rocket attacks on Christmas Day, Ukraine’s military said on Monday.
Three Russian servicemen were killed on Monday morning by falling debris from a downed Ukrainian drone while attacking a base in Russia’s Saratov region, Russian news agencies said, citing the defense ministry.
It was the second attack on the base this month. The base, near the city of Saratov, about 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometers from the front line in Ukraine, was hit that day by two Russian air bases.
Reuters could not immediately verify the veracity of the reports.
Putin again said on Sunday that he was open to negotiations and blamed Ukraine and its Western allies for failing to start talks.
“We are ready to negotiate with all parties involved on acceptable solutions, but it depends on them – it’s not us who refuse to negotiate, it’s them,” Putin said in an interview on state television Rossiya 1.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin needed to come back to reality and recognize that it was Russia that did not want negotiations.
“Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens,” adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “Russia doesn’t want negotiations, but tries to avoid accountability.”
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 – what Russia calls a “special military operation” – sparked the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II and the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants have left millions without electricity and Zelenskiy said Moscow intends to make the final days of 2022 dark and difficult.
“Russia has lost everything it could this year. … I know that darkness will not stop us from leading the occupiers to new defeats. But we must be ready for any scenario,” he said in a Christmas Day speech. .
Ukraine traditionally celebrates Christmas on January 7, as does Russia.
However, some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to celebrate December 25 this year, and Ukrainian authorities, including Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian prime minister, issued Christmas communiqués on Sunday.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
