New Year’s Day in Ukraine was marked by drone attacks as Putin’s relentless war continued.
Brutal drone attacks hit the cities of Odessa, Lviv and Kharviv overnight, while Kyiova’s forces targeted the Donbass Palace hotel in Donetsk shortly after the Russian president gave a speech at midnight before his people.
Ukraine said it shot down 87 out of 90 Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones launched by Russia – a record number.
In Odessa, one person was killed and nine others were injured after debris from a drone hit a high-rise building, causing burning debris to fall to the ground.
Nataliya Humenyuk, a spokesperson for southern Ukraine’s defense forces, said port infrastructure was damaged after explosions caused a fire. Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov criticized Russia for staging an attack on Ukraine before the new year.
“They say that how you celebrate the new year depends on how you spend it,” he said.
“Well, this year Ukraine will break that rule. We will stand and we will prevail because we have justice and God is on our side.
In the village of Belogorscha near Lviv, the Shukhevych Roman Memorial Museum was damaged by Shahed drones following the Russian attack, and university dormitories were also attacked and destroyed in Dublyany.
Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv, said: “Tonight the enemy attacked two places of national memory in Lviv: Dublyany University, where [Ukrainian nationalist] Stepan Bandera studied 100 years ago and Shukhevych Roman Museum. “Symbolism and cynicism.
A fight for our history Ukrainian sources said that in the Kharkiv area, Russia attacked four S-300 air defense missiles, three Kh-31P anti-radar missiles and one Kh-59.
In Donetsk – a city currently held by Russia – pro-Moscow leader Denis Pushilin announcedthat4peopledied and 13 were injured. As the new year began, explosions rangout again in the Kiev-controlled city of Kherson.
An air warning was issued in the Volyn, Rivne, Lviv and Ternopil regions of Ukraine. According to the capital’s military authorities,the number of victims of the missile attack on Kiev on December 29 has increased to 27people.
Rescue operations continue and today the city has declared a day of mourning.
Putin’s attack against Ukraine came as he delivered a New Year’s speech declaring his troops “heroes”.
In his shortest New Year’s speech in four years, he said: “I want to speak to our soldiers-all those who serve,those on the front lines fighting for truth and justice.
“You are our heroes. Our beliefs you. We are proud of you and we admire your courage.
“I know well that now you feel the love of yourselves,the strong and sincere support of millions of Russian citizens, the support of the entire people.
“The main thing that unites us is the destiny of the Fatherland.
“We are united in thought,in duty and in struggle, whether at work or on holiday,embodying the main features of the Russian people: solidarity, kindness and steadfastness. ”