Follow our live blog of the war in Ukraine here
This New Year’s Eve was marked by Russian attacks with rockets across Ukraine, which killed at least one person and injured more than 20.
But this was not the only event recorded throughout this morning, which was marked by the New Year’s speech by the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, to his troops. A speech where Shoigu admits “difficulties”, but says that the Russian victory is “inevitable”.
On the Ukrainian side, Shoigu’s counterpart published a video with a letter to Santa Claus, where Ukrainians ask for more “gifts”, that is, weapons. And they denounce the “neighbor” who “behaved badly” this year, in reference to Russia.
What happened during this last day of 2022
- The warning was given this morning by the British Ministry of Defense, saying there was a “realistic chance” that Russia would change its pattern of attacks in recent days and renew the intensity of attacks this weekend, to “undermine morale”. From Russia. Ukrainians this New Year.
- A few hours later, the barrage of missiles and rockets began to fall. There was an initial round of ten explosions in kyiv, followed by a second round. One person was killed and 22 injured, including a Japanese journalist, who was staying at a battered hotel.
- There were also attacks in other regions, such as Khmelnystkyi (causing four injuries), Mykolaiv (six injuries) and Zaporizia.
- The Donetsk region of Donbass continued to be the scene of “the fiercest battles”, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. kyiv’s troops will be able to hold their positions and even “creep forward” at some points in the region.
- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu issued a New Year’s message in which he acknowledged that the current “military and political” situation was “difficult” but declared that Russian victory was “inevitable”.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine will be exempt from income tax.
- Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov shared a video in which he writes a letter to Santa Claus, thanking Ukraine for “the gifts” received this year, a moment illustrated by the weapons and military equipment sent mainly by the United States.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured today that the world “will not forgive” Russia for the invasion and bombing, after new attacks hit kyiv and other cities, causing dozens of injuries and at least one death. “No one will forgive your terror. No one in the world will forgive you. Ukraine will not forgive,” Zelensky wrote in Russian on Telegram.
- Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Russian citizens directly in a video message posted on social media. In that message, the Ukrainian president says that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is “hiding”. “Your leader wants to show that he has the military with him, that he is leading them. But he’s just hiding. Hiding behind the military, behind the missiles, behind the walls of their houses and their palaces.
Source: Observadora