1 of 1 Volodymyr Zelensky during the New Year's address on December 31, 2023 — Photo: Presidency of Ukraine/Portal Volodymyr Zelensky during the New Year's address on December 31, 2023 — Photo: Presidency of Ukraine/Portal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to “destroy” the Russian army in his New Year’s address. Russia has occupied part of Ukraine's territory since late February 2022, when it invaded its neighboring country.
“Next year the enemy will suffer the damage caused by our domestic production,” Zelensky said, referring to the drones that will be included in Ukraine’s armament in 2024.
Ukraine will have at least “a million” additional drones by 2024 in addition to the F16 fighter jets supplied by its Western allies, Zelensky said.
The speech came three days after the Russian army launched one of the largest air offensives against Ukrainian cities since the start of the war, leaving 39 people dead.
The Ukrainian army responded by killing 24 people in a bomb attack on the Russian city of Belgorod on Saturday (30).
The Ukrainian leader called on Western allies to continue supporting Kiev amid growing international fatigue over the conflict.
“The Ukrainians are stronger than any intrigue, than any attempt to weaken global solidarity and undermine the coalition of our allies,” he said.