The Ukrainian city of KYIV/DONETSK PROVINCE FRONT LINE, Jan. 2 (Reuters) – As Russia continued its assault into the second day of 2023, officials stated that Russian drones attack Monday infrastructure in the capital of Ukraine and the surrounding areas, damaging energy installations and resulting in minor power outages.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had shot down 45 Russian-launched Shahed drones built in Iran on the first night of the year. He commended Ukrainians for their thanks to the military and to one another.
He stated of the Russians, “Drones, missiles, everything else will not help them.” “mostly because we are one. Only their shared terror unites them.”
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, signalled no easing in his attack on Ukraine in a tough New Year’s speech.
Ukraine’s military administration reported that at 3 a.m. (0100 GMT), its air defence systems had destroyed 20 air objects over Kyiv.
Oleksiy Kuleba, the governor of Kyiv, said: “Night drone assaults are noisy in the area and in the capital.”
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled no easing in his attack on Ukraine in a tough New Year’s speech.
According to the military administration of Ukraine, 20 air objects above Kyiv had been eliminated by 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) by its air defence systems.
Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba remarked, “Night drone assaults are noisy in the area and in the capital.”
The information could not be independently verified by Reuters.
By the early hours of Monday, according to the regional military command in eastern Ukraine, air defence systems had shot down nine drones built in Iran over the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.
NEW YEAR IN THE TRENCHES
Bridget Brink, the American ambassador to Ukraine, wrote on Twitter: “In the early hours of the New Year, Russia assaulted Ukraine in a chilly and brutal manner. Putin nonetheless does not appear to comprehend that Ukrainians are built of iron.”
In the eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk, soldiers celebrated the New Year on the front lines. After twelve of his fellow soldiers were killed in a single night, one soldier, Pavlo Pryzhehodskiy, 27, picked up a guitar and sang a song he had composed.
“It is tragic that individuals were forced to seek refuge, some of whom were killed, instead of gathering with friends, celebrating, and exchanging gifts,” he told Reuters.
“It’s a terrible tragedy that will never be forgotten. Therefore, the New Year is depressing.”
Soldier Oleh Zahrodskiy, 49, claimed to have volunteered in a nearby trench when his son was called up for the reserve army. His son is currently fighting for his life in a hospital after suffering a brain injury, and his father is leading the charge.
Holding back tears, he remarked, “It is extremely challenging now.
‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’
Andrii Nebytov, the head of the Kyiv police, shared a picture on the Telegram messaging app of what appeared to be a piece of a drone used in an attack on the city with the scribbled Russian message “Happy New Year” on it.
Nebytov remarked, “This wreckage is here, on a sports field, where children play—this is not at the front, where violent combat is taking place.
Since Putin gave the order to invade Ukraine in February, Russia has destroyed Ukrainian cities and slaughtered hundreds of civilians, claiming that Ukraine is an artificial state whose pro-Western stance threatens Russia’s security.
Since then, Russia has asserted that it has annexed nearly a quarter of Ukraine, but it denies attacking civilians.
With military assistance from the West, Ukraine fought back and expelled Russian forces from more than half of the land they had taken. The front lines have mostly remained steady in recent weeks despite thousands of soldiers losing their lives in fierce combat.
Ukraine claims that Russia’s aerial attacks, which it claims are designed to do, are war crimes since they are meant to harm civilians and weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
“Our sacred duty to our forefathers and future generations is to defend the fatherland. We are on the side of moral and historical righteousness.”
The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region claimed on Monday that a power station there had been destroyed by a Ukrainian drone strike, but added that no one had been hurt.
Last week, Russia claimed responsibility for shooting down a Ukrainian drone near one of its remote long-range bomber sites, killing three air force employees in the process.
The report could not be independently verified by Reuters.
About the Author:
