Ukraine weathered another round of missile and drone attacks early in the New Year, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the country’s determination to overcome Russian aggression, saying “if we win, we will hug”.
Russia launched 45 Iranian-made drones overnight, targeting mostly the capital Kyiv, all of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses with no reported casualties. “It didn’t work out that the Ukrainians were spoiled for vacation!” This was announced by the country’s air force.
The latest attack came hours after the salvo of cruise missiles fired by Russia on Saturday, as President Vladimir Putin delivered a militaristic year-end message pledging to end the “criminal Nazi regime in Kyiv.”
Flanked by uniformed soldiers, Putin’s speech contrasted sharply with Zelenskyy’s emotional message, in which he said he desired “one thing – victory” and that 2023 would be a year of return for Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s all-out invasion , which lasted more than 10 months ago.
“The return of our people: soldiers – to their families. Prisoners – home. Migrants – to their Ukraine. . . return of our lands. . . Get back to normal life,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly New Year’s address to the nation. “To happy moments without a curfew. . . without air raid sirens.”
A Russian family watches as the country’s President Vladimir Putin delivers his New Year’s address © Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
Russia has increased its use of missile and drone strikes as its military campaign on the ground has stalled in the face of Ukrainian counter-offensives aimed at destroying critical infrastructure and undermining Ukrainian morale.
Kiev’s air raid sirens began sounding just after midnight and continued until nearly 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day. But by midday, the capital’s streets were lined with relaxed-looking Ukrainians and the aisles of downtown upscale department store Tsum were packed with shoppers.
Western officials condemned the latest round of Russian attacks and pledged to continue to stand by Ukraine in 2023.
Bridget Brink, US Ambassador to Ukraine, tweeted: “Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the New Year. But Putin still doesn’t seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron.”
Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, said in a tweet: “At the end of the year, Putin is again trying to keep Ukrainians in the dark with heinous attacks. We are determined to continue standing by Ukraine.”
“Glory to Ukraine,” said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Twitter. “Britain will be with you in 2023.”
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The attempted drone strikes on Kyiv on Sunday resulted in only falling debris, which did little damage, according to city authorities. But the 20 cruise missiles Russia fired from the Caspian Sea on Saturday left at least one dead in Kyiv and dozens wounded across the country. Ukraine’s military said it shot down 12 of the missiles — less than the roughly 80 percent success rate achieved in recent attacks.
Zelenskyy, who vowed last week that the country’s air defenses “will get even stronger and more efficient” in the new year, has long pleaded with his American and European allies to strengthen Ukraine’s defense systems, which rely on Soviet-era equipment to pose a threat that the ammo is running out.
The latest Russian attacks, aimed in part at further depleting those stockpiles, came days after US President Joe Biden said he had approved the deployment of a Patriot air-defense missile battery to Kyiv, to be delivered in the coming months.
Additional reporting by Henry Foy in Brussels