A video compilation shared on social media Friday by a Ukrainian government official appeared to show some Ukrainians singing, dancing and baking holiday treats while taking cover in bomb shelters amid the latest Russian military attacks on the country.
The clips were reportedly filmed on Friday as Ukrainians sought shelter from the missile strikes. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, said the compilation showed “Ukrainians in bomb shelters today.”
The compilation is more than two minutes in length and features several clips shared on TikTok. It starts with a short video of young people dancing together, followed by a video of a young child jumping up and down while other children sit nearby.
The video then shifts to images of children gathered around a long wooden tabletop and rolling out dough.
One photo shows a tray of cookies cut into stars, trees and gingerbread men, among other shapes. Another photo shows a person loading a tray of cookies into a toaster oven.
The compilation later shows additional clips of people gathered in groups while singing or dancing.
Ukrainians in bomb shelters today.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 16, 2022
Of course, not everyone had fun. Many couldn't reach shelters and be safe.
But we are standing strong! We will win! pic.twitter.com/PRZ5CC29vc
“Of course, not everyone had fun,” Gerashchenko said in a tweet accompanying the video. “Many couldn’t reach shelters and be safe. But we are standing strong! We will win!”
Gerashchenko shared the video compilation following the latest in a series of Russian missile strikes targeting Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russia launched 76 missiles on Friday, 60 of which Ukrainian troops reportedly intercepted. More than 40 of those were shot down near Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Friday’s missile strike focused on civilian infrastructure, Zelensky said in a Friday evening video address.
Though Ukrainian troops reportedly intercepted nearly 80 percent of the missiles Russia launched Friday, there were civilian casualties. At least three people were killed, and there were varying reports throughout the day regarding the number of individuals who were injured.
At the time of Zelensky’s address, he said children were among the more than 10 people who were injured.
As many people across Ukraine sought safety in bomb shelters, Zelensky said the missile strikes prompted Ukraine to implement emergency power outages as repair personnel were dispatched to fix energy systems and other systems that were impacted by the blasts.
Next week, Ukraine will mark 10 months since Russia’s invasion began in late February. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Agence France-Presse on Friday that Russia “should not” be underestimated and that Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be “ready to be in this war for a long time.”
Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs predicted earlier this week that Russia might try to launch another “large” offensive in the first couple of months of 2023.