After celebrating a Western Christmas on December 25, an unusual date for the majority Orthodox and Greek Catholics in the country, Ukrainians are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ for a second time on January 7.
And this year, Ukraine is living a tragic Christmas, under bombs, in darkness and cold.
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In line with previous humorous communication offensives, kyiv staged several of its weapons on this occasion.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has indeed broadcast a video of a Ukrainian pilot dressed as Santa Claus, white beard and red cap on the helmet, at the controls of a MiG-29.
To the sing-song music of
Jingle Bells,
the fighter sends out two supersonic missiles meant to hit the enemy's air defense.
In another video released by the Ukrainian Air Force, we see several missiles wrapped in light garlands to celebrate the new year.
Himars rocket launcher
On the army side, the Ukrainian army also relayed images on which we can see an American multiple rocket launcher decorated for the occasion.
A Ukrainian soldier, red cap on his head, watches, impassive, a missile launch.
The M142 HIMARS (for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a mobile artillery system developed by the American defense company Lockheed Martin.
In Ukraine, the system is used with guided missiles of 80 km range.
Delivered at the end of June to Ukraine, the HIMARS have considerably increased the range of its strikes.
The Ukrainian army has notably destroyed ammunition depots and Russian stations hitherto out of reach, disrupting the opposing logistics chain.
Russian forces carried out dozens of strikes in Ukraine on New Year's Eve and Sunday, the Ukrainian military said, claiming to have shot down all Iranian-made explosive drones involved in the attacks.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: in liberated Kupyansk, the scars of the Russian occupation
In central Kiev, a missile ripped through the facade of a hotel, while local police chief Andriy Nebitov posted a photograph on Facebook showing what appears to be the remains of a drone with the words "
Happy New Year
” written in Russian.
A new air attack targeted the capital on Monday at dawn.
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