Russia continued intensive rocket and drone strikes across Ukraine early in the New Year as curfews in certain parts of the country made celebrations in some public places impossible.
But hundreds of brave Ukrainians in the capital refused to be subdued by the warmongering Russian president and took to the streets to ring in the New Year with family and friends.
Ukraine’s air force command said they destroyed 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, and Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said there were no casualties – although attacks on Saturday killed at least one person in the capital would.
Andriy Nebytov, chief of the Kiev police, posted a photo on the Telegram messaging app that allegedly shows a piece of a kamikaze drone on which a Russian soldier had emblazoned the words “Happy New Year.”
“These debris are not on the front lines, where fierce fighting is taking place, they are here, on a sports field where children are playing,” Nebytov said.
Ukrainians take a selfie with the national flag of Ukraine near a Christmas tree in the evening in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 31, 2022 before the New Year
A Happy New Year message is written in Russian on part of an Iranian-made Shahed Kamikaze drone that was fired into Kyiv overnight
A 11pm curfew was in place in the capital, preventing citizens from partying in the main square overnight.
But for hours before curfew, hundreds of residents filled the streets, waving Ukrainian flags and wishing each other well while taking selfies in front of a large Christmas tree in blue and yellow-lit Sofia Square.
Later, as the air raid sirens blared in Kyiv for over four hours throughout the night, some people could be heard shouting from their balconies: “Honour to Ukraine! Honor the heroes!’ in clips posted on the Telegram messaging app.
US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter: “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.”
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian attacks continued to escalate.
Ukraine’s top command said Sunday that Russia had launched 31 rockets and 12 airstrikes across the country in the past 24 hours.
The latest attacks have damaged infrastructure in Sumy in the north-east of the country, Khmelnytskyi in the west and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south-east and south, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.
They followed many bombings in recent months, which Russia aimed mainly at Ukraine’s energy and water infrastructure.
Ukrainians celebrate New Year’s Eve before the start of the curfew near a Christmas tree decorated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in Sofia Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 31, 2022
Ukrainians hold the national flag of Ukraine next to a Christmas tree in the evening in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, standing next to his wife Olena Zelenska, said in his New Year’s speech that Ukraine will triumph over Russia
Earlier in the evening President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians would fight to victory.
“We are fighting and will continue to fight. For the sake of the main word, “victory,” he said in a New Year’s speech, even as his country endured fresh Russian strikes.
“I want to say to all of you: Ukrainians, you are amazing! Look what we’ve done and what we’re doing!’ Zelenskyy said in the emotional speech.
“We fight as one team – the whole country, all our regions. I admire you all. I want to thank all invincible regions of Ukraine,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin delivered a combative New Year’s speech, signaling that the war, now in its 11th month, will continue.
As Russia’s Far East regions rang in 2023, the Russian leader delivered his midnight address — usually against a backdrop of the Kremlin — amid soldiers and women fighting in Ukraine.
Footage released by Russian state television showed Putin raising a glass of champagne with soldiers, some with awards on their chests, before telling viewers that “moral, historical accuracy is on our side.”
Putin said this year was marked by “really decisive, fateful events” that “became the frontier that lays the foundation for our common future, for our true independence.”
“Today we are fighting for it, protecting our people in our own historical areas, in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” he added, referring to four Ukrainian regions allegedly annexed by Russia.
Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a message to his soldiers that Russia’s victory in Ukraine was “inevitable”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his New Year’s speech to Russians during his visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, December 31, 2022
A new round of explosions rocked Kyiv less than an hour in 2023 after Russia attacked Ukraine with rockets aimed at the capital
The first blasts of the New Year began about 30 minutes after midnight, hitting two districts
More than ten explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.
Klitschko said on social media that at least one person died as a result of Saturday’s attacks, while city authorities said 22 others were injured.
An explosion ripped open a corner of the four-star Alfavito Hotel in Kyiv, dumping debris onto the street.
Nearby sidewalks were covered with glass from blown-out windows in the area, including the National Palace of Arts in Kyiv.
Filmmaker Yaroslav Mutenko, 23, lives in a nearby apartment complex and said he was in the shower preparing to go to a New Year’s Eve party when he heard a bang.
He said there had been similar blasts in the area during a previous attack in October, but nothing as loud as Saturday’s blast.
When he saw rescue workers blocking the street in front of the hotel, he told AFP he still planned to go to the party at a friend’s house.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding there were no immediate reports of casualties
A Ukrainian military soldier sits in the Donetsk region before preparing to fire a mortar shell as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues
“Our enemies, the Russians, can destroy our calm, but they cannot destroy our spirit,” he said.
“Why am I going to a party with friends? Because this year I understand that it’s important to have people around.’
The attacks come as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine enters its 11th month, with Russian attacks systematically targeting energy infrastructure, leaving millions in the cold and dark of midwinter.
Strikes were also reported yesterday in the southern city of Mykolaiv, where a local official said seven people were injured.
Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkievych previously said that a fire broke out in one of the neighborhoods and several residential buildings were damaged as a result of the strikes.
In western Ukraine, at least four people were injured in the Khmelnytskyi region, Governor Sergiy Gamaly said, adding that part of the town of Khmelnytskyi remained without electricity.