Day 305: Death Toll from Kherson Attack Rises to 16

Facts

• The death toll from a barrage of attacks on Kherson on Saturday has risen to 16, with 64 people injured, Ukrainian officials said Sunday. The figure included the death of three emergency service workers who were killed during demining efforts in the region.
• Vladimir Saldo, a Ukrainian appointed as Russia's acting governor of the Kherson region, claimed that it was in fact Ukraine's armed forces that were responsible for the shelling and alleged it was a false flag attack aimed at villifying the Russian Federation. Evidence wasn't provided and the claim couldn't be independently confirmed.
• Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, Russian attacks continued to be reported in the Donetsk region where Ukrainian officials said seven civilians were injured. Russian shelling was also recorded in the region of Kharkiv on Saturday, where one civilian was killed and another was injured.
• Elsewhere, as some Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a Christmas message. He said that in spite of the absence of loved ones, heat, electricity and internet, that "wherever we are, we will be together today."
• Zelenskyy added: "We will sing Christmas carols, cheerier than ever, louder than the sound of a generator. We will hear the voices and greetings of relatives, in our hearts, even if communication service and the internet are down. And even in total darkness, we will find each other, to hug each other tightly. And if there is no heat, we will give a big hug to warm each other."
• It comes as Ukraine typically celebrated Christmas on Jan. 7 in accordance with the Orthodox tradition which follows the Julian calendar. However, earlier this year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) allowed those who wish to mark the day on Dec. 25 to do so as some called for breaking with Moscow in favor of aligning with the Western tradition.

Sources: Ukrinform, Tass, President of Ukraine, and Associated Press.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by PBS NewsHour. This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by National Security Archive. NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.

Predictions