At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured after Russia’s latest bombardment of Kherson, the southern Ukrainian city, on Christmas Eve.
“These [targets in Kherson] are not military facilities. This is not a war according to the rules defined. It is terror, it is killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure. The world must see and understand what absolute evil we are fighting against,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his official Instagram account on Saturday.
The Russian barrage comes on the heels of Zelensky’s surprise visit to the United States earlier this week, which marked his first trip beyond Ukraine’s borders since the war began in February 2022.
On Wednesday, President Zelensky arrived in Washington, D.C., visited the White House, and held a joint press conference with President Joe Biden.
“This battle cannot be frozen or postponed, it cannot be ignored hoping that the ocean or something else will provide protection. The world is too interconnected and interdependent,” Zelensky told a joint session of Congress that drew senior Republican and Democratic officials.
“In the defense part of our expenditures, making sure the Defense department can deal with the major threats coming from Russia and China, providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians — that’s the No. 1 priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans,” Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday, a day before Zelensky’s visit. The same day, House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) penned a letter to fellow Democrats imploring “all members to be physically present at our session Wednesday night. . . . Please be present for a very special focus on democracy.”
Zelensky’s arrival during year-end omnibus-bill negotiations sought to secure nearly $50 billion in military and civilian aid to the beleaguered country. In particular, Zelensky sought and received public assurances from President Joe Biden that the United States intended to share sophisticated Patriot anti-aircraft missiles with Ukraine to combat the Russian air force.
Kherson, which Russian forces had occupied since March 2022, was recaptured by Ukraine in November.