Kherson Weekly: 21-27 December
Weekly Review of War-Related Events and Information Space in & around Kherson
Photo: Kherson Police
Video of the Week
Video: Ukrainian Air Force
The 208th Anti-Air Missile Defense Brigade “Kherson” shot down a Russian cruise missile flying over Kherson Oblast. On Christmas Day, Russian forces launched a massive aerial bombardment of Ukrainian power, water, and heating infrastructure all over the country. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces attacked with two North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, ten ground-attack-modified S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, twelve Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles, fifty Kh-101/Kh-55SM air-launched cruise missiles, four Kh-59/Kh-69 air-launched cruise missiles, and 106 Shahed kamikaze drones or simulator drones of various types. Ukrainian forces destroyed fifty-nine missiles and fifty-four drones, while successfully jamming another fifty-two.
Photo of the Week
Photo: Kherson Police
Further up the Dnipro from Kherson proper, there lies a village in Beryslav Raion called Tomaryne, located just under 10 km west from Beryslav itself. After regular Russian shelling earlier this week, Tomaryne sustained serious damage and police officers were alerted to 73-year-old Nadiya Petrivna whose home was damaged to such a point that it was no longer habitable. She was enduring the winter alone, living without heat, electricity, and water. The police shared a touching video of the evacuation and their interactions with the elderly woman, recording her emotional reaction to leaving behind her home. The officers comforted the woman and helped her gather her documents and other essential items prior to evacuation. More about the evacuation operations closer to Kherson later in the article.
Video: Kherson Police
Terror From the Left Bank
#1
On 22 December, the KHABR Group posted evidence of Russian forces' continued use of FAB-500 bombs on the village of Sadove in Kherson Oblast. This round of bombing fixated on smaller villages along the Dnipro, near the village of Prydnipryanske.
Video: KHABR Team | BpLA
Geolocation by Zoam on Ukraine Daily Update Map
#2
On 21 December, an account linked to the 8th Guards Artillery Regiment of the 18th Combined Arms Army, called Fire Legion 8, showed further Russian bombing with FABs of Sadove, but in a location further up the Inhulets River Delta.
Video: Fire Legion 8
Geolocation by Road To Mars on Ukraine Daily Update Map
#3
On Christmas Day, Russian milblogger Osvedomitell Alex posted footage of Russian multiple rocket launcher (MRL) shelling on Antonivka and an infrastructure facility north of the suburb’s cemetery. Since Russian forces began their increased shelling of Ukrainian-controlled settlements on the right bank of the Dnipro, Russian MRL fires have been increasingly featured in combat footage emerging from the Russian side this week in the Kherson direction.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
Geolocation by Andrew Perpetua on Ukraine Daily Update Map
#4
More horrific evidence of Russian forces stalking civilians on bicycles emerged this week on 23 December. A civilian man in central Antonivka barely escaped with his life, zig-zagging away from the explosion, after a Russian drone pilot missed him with a skid drop.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
Geolocation by foosint on Bluesky
#5
Two civilians were attacked by a Russian skid drop from a drone in the most recent display of the Human Safari being carried out in Kherson. This attack took place in the neighborhood of Kindiyka, a small suburb nestled between Antonivka and Kherson’s Dniprovskyi Raion. The footage was also posted on the morning of 23 December.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
Geolocation by 99Dominik on X
Sheltering Civilians
Photos: Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA; Kherson ODA
In response to the mass bombardment of Kherson on 20 December, the Kherson Military Administration installed concrete and steel shelters in villages all along the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Announced on 24 December, the Ukrainian Red Cross financed at least 23 shelters, complete with water, lighting, and blankets for about a dozen civilians each. Additionally on 25 December, the Department of Civil Protection and Defense Work of the Kherson Regional State Administration financed and installed another 15 of 20 planned shelters in Kherson, Beryslav, Velykooleksandrivka, Vysokopillia, Novoraisk, Bilozerka, Muzykivka, Novovorontsovka, and Borozenske. In the Tavryiskyi Microraion, another shelter was installed after intense shelling and rocket fire in this district on the night of 19-20 December. The Kherson ODA also reported the completion of shelter installations in Novovorontsovka, Kostyrka, and Lyubimivka further to the north in Beryslav Raion on 26 December.
Increased Evacuations
Last week’s increase in shelling, rocket fire, and glide bombing brought a wave of civilians seeking respite from Russian terror. South of Kherson, Kherson Police shared evidence of civilian evacuation operations in the villages of Novodmytrivka, Pryozerne, Komyshany, and Sofiivka. Evacuation remains voluntary and accessible through public hotlines – contrary to Russian propagandist claims on social media.
Photos: National Police; Kherson Police; Kherson Police
Many single mothers are struggling to look after their children due to the circumstances imposed on their lives by Russia’s Human Safari in Kherson Oblast. Residents expressed frustration, concern, and persistent anxiety about trying to give their children some semblance of a normal childhood, while remaining in their homes. But the intensity of Russian drone attacks, more robust bombardments, and recent attempts to cross the Dnipro have proven too much of a threat to the lives of their children for many to continue to reside in their home villages. In Novodmytrivka, a 28-year-old mother and her 7-year-old son were evacuated at night due to the threat of constant drone attacks in the village during the daytime. Closer to Kherson city, a 38-year-old mother and her two 4-year-old daughters were evacuated from the village of Pryozerne. In Stanislavska hromada, a 42-year-old mother and her three girls (one 8-year-old and two 3-year-olds) and her two boys, ages 3 and 9, were evacuated from the village of Sofiivka and relocated to Kyiv. Intense Russian multiple rocket launcher fire on their village prompted the mother to call for evacuation, according to the National Police.
Photos: Kherson Police
Other residents require evacuation due to their old age and health conditions, which limit their mobility or complicate their ability to withstand Russian assaults on their residences. In Bilozerka, a 71-year-old couple was evacuated after the husband sustained serious injuries in a fall. In nearby Komyshany, police evacuated a 54-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman, who sought evacuation due to the husband suffering a stroke, while the wife was already suffering from visual impairment. Both needed medical attention according to the Kherson Police.
Video: Kherson ODA
On 21 December, the Kherson ODA shared a video where Yaroslav Shanko and Olga Malyarchuk visited Kherson residents who were in the process of evacuation in the aftermath of the Russian bombardment of Kherson on 20 December. Residents shared their struggles and contact information with the deputies of the Kherson Administration, while other members of the National Police and Kherson Administration recorded the personal details of all civilians being relocated and housed as internally displaced persons, or the information of those moving in with relatives in other regions of Ukraine. They emphasized that evacuation is free and transportation is provided, either by rail or by road to safe locations away from the front.
Tracking Russian Terror
Data: Kherson ODA; National Police; Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office; Oleksandr Prokudin
Situation Report
This week saw a marked decrease in the effectiveness of drone strikes against civilians with only seven victims in Kherson Raion. More deadly drone activity was unfortunately recorded in Beryslav Raion, which falls outside the scope of this data set and weekly series. Russian terrorist milblogger Osvedomitell Alex admitted that weather inhibited typical operations, but atrocities persisted when weather permitted. Russian forces elected for more FABs and MRL barrages on less densely populated areas, leading to a lower total of civilian casualties this week than previous weeks.
As of 27 December, 1433 civilians have been killed or wounded by Russian aggression since 21 June in Kherson Raion. 72 civilians have been killed by shelling, while 570 have been wounded. Another 57 civilians have been killed by drones, while 734 civilians have been injured.
Weekly Civilian Victims of Russian Aggression
Shelling:
Killed: 1
Wounded: 12
Drones:
Killed: 1
Wounded: 6
Total: 20
Data: National Police
Weekly Buildings & Infrastructure Report
Photo: Kherson ODA
Private Homes & Apartments: 88
Infrastructure: 13
Data: National Police
Weekly Damaged Vehicle Report
Photo: Kherson Police
Public Transportation: 1
Civilian Auto: 15
Police & EMS: 0
Data: National Police
Sources
Ukrainian Sources:
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Національна поліція України. https://www.npu.gov.ua/
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/evakuatsiia-pid-rosiiskymy-obstrilamy-khersonski-politseiski-vyvezly-matir-ta-dvokh-malenkykh-ditei-iz-nebezpechnoho-pryozernoho
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/khersonski-politseiski-evakuiuvaly-matir-iz-dytynoiu-iz-postiino-obstriliuvanoi-novodmytrivky
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/khersonski-politseiski-vyvezly-z-pryfrontovykh-sil-dva-podruzhzhia-iaki-potrebuvaly-medychnoi-dopomohy
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Національна поліція України. https://www.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-iuvenalni-politseiski-z-volonteramy-evakuiuvaly-simiu-z-piatma-ditmy-z-pryfrontovoho-sela
Повітряні сили ЗС України / Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/kpszsu/25655
Поліція Херсонської області. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonpolice/13558
Поліція Херсонської області. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonpolice/13577
Поліція Херсонської області. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonpolice/13693
Прокудін Олександр - Офіційна сторінка. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/olexandrprokudin
Херсонська обласна прокуратура. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/phogovua
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/28913
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/28991
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/28998
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/29024
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/29055
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/29086
Russian Sources:
Огненный легион. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/FireLeg8/315
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/23234
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/23236
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/23286
ХАБР TEAM | БПЛА. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/habr_bpla/492
English Sources:
(1) Dominik on X: “Russian drone dropped grenade near two people in Antonivka 46.674082, 32.685993 Antonivka, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine @GeoConfirmed Source: https://t.co/udyoPWK8yv https://t.co/8jEqe8xAUR” / X. (n.d.). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/99Dominik_/status/1871358673613951483
Andrew Perpetua (@AndrewPerpetua) / x. (n.d.). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/AndrewPerpetua
foosint (@foosint.bsky.social). (n.d.). Bluesky Social. https://bsky.app/profile/foosint.bsky.social/post/3ldyprosavc2c
RTM OSINT (@RoadtoMars9) / x. (n.d.). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/RoadtoMars9
Zoam (@ZoamSc2) / x. (n.d.). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/ZoamSc2