Russian shelling kills 4 as Ukraine prepares to observe Christmas on Dec. 25 for the first time

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shelling in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region has killed four people as Ukraine prepares to officially celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 instead of Jan. 7. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed legislation in July moving the public Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church observes the birth of Jesus on Jan. 7. The Kherson region’s governor said Sunday’s shelling sparked fires in homes and at a private medical facility. He says the people killed including a couple in their 80s who died after a strike on their apartment building. Drones also attacked five other regions of Ukraine overnight.