POPE Francis' wish for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war during this Christmas season has gone unheeded. In fact, Russia conducted a massive missile and drone attack on civilian infrastructures and facilities on exactly Christmas Day in Ukraine. Main targets of the attack were the energy stations in various parts of Ukraine in an attempt to make as many Ukrainians possible freeze and suffer from the winter cold. Among the facilities destroyed was a children's hospital, causing worldwide outrage. One can only agree with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's description of the attack as inhuman.

Russia fired more than 70 missiles and more than 100 explosives-carrying drones. Because Ukraine was able to intercept only about half of them, the Kremlin has hailed the operation a success. Early toll of lives lost and injured does not show significant numbers, but still a life was lost and some people were badly injured. The death is expected to rise, however, after reports will have come from all the areas affected. Many more people might have died in these attacks by Russia had subway stations in Eastern European not been built so deep underground as to function also as air raid shelters that people can run to upon hearing the emergency siren. That can perhaps be considered one silver lining in the long-standing mistrust between Western and Eastern countries of Europe.

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