Ukraine has said that nine people, including four children, were wounded by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson as drones also targeted the capital Kyiv and the second-largest city Kharkiv.
A mother and her three children were hospitalised but "their condition is moderate. They have contusions and... explosive injuries", Roman Mrochko, head of Kherson, said on Telegram.
Several Iranian-made Shahed drones were also shot down by Ukrainian air defences as they headed toward Kyiv, according to the head of the capital's military administration, Serhii Popko.
According to the preliminary data of the operational summary, there were no victims or destruction in the capital," he wrote on Telegram, adding that the attack, the fifth on Kyiv in December, was staged from the Black Sea.
Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov reported at least two strikes near residential buildings in his city.
The Ukraine air force said Kharkiv was hit with "two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles" fired from Russia's Belgorod region.
No casualties have been reported so far.
It also said a "total 19 Shahed launches were recorded, 18 of which were destroyed within in the Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Chernigiv and Kirovograd regions".
Moscow has stepped up its nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, at a time when the West's willingness to support the country seems to be waning.
The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate have said that Washington will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before the year's end, as the two sides continue to seek a compromise.
Russia started carrying out strikes on Ukraine's energy, military and transport infrastructure in regions far from the front line in October 2022, six months after Moscow troops failed to take over Kyiv and withdrew to Ukraine's east and south.
Ukrainians prepare for first wartime Christmas on new calendar
Ukrainians are gearing up to celebrate their first Christmas according to a new calendar, another step towards erasing all traces of Russian influence.
Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and the country's main church agreed this year to move away from the traditional Julian calendar, which is used in Russia and celebrates the holiday on 7 January.
Moscow's February 2022 attack rallied the nation in defence and sparked many Ukrainians to reject the Russian language and culture, among other historical ties to Kyiv's former ruler.
"Everything that was related to Russia, and everything that Russia did the same way we did, provoked disgust among people," said Mykhailo Omelian, an Orthodox priest in Kyiv.
Many Ukrainians also see membership in the European Union as a crucial affirmation of what they believe is their country's historical place in Europe.
"It turns out that Ukrainians used to celebrate Christmas on December 25, just like the rest of Europeans," said Tetiana, who said she would celebrate on 25 December for the first time.
Standing outside Kyiv's golden-domed St. Michael's Monastery, she added that it would feel "a little unusual" but was "the right thing to do".
Near the front line of Russia's invasion, which is nearing its two-year mark and shows no signs of abating, soldiers were also preparing to make the switch to 25 December.
"Just like it was before Jan 7 was imposed upon us," said Bohdan, a service member stationed in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities have also stepped up a campaign to rename streets and settlements, as well as remove statues and monuments tied to the tsarist and Soviet past.
