Ukrainians celebrate New year despite bombing
2023.01.01 13:44
Ukrainians celebrate New year despite bombing
Budrigannews.com – In the first hours of 2023, Ukrainian air defenses blasted Russian missiles and drones out of the sky, and people cheered from their balconies as Moscow saw in the new year by attacking civilian targets all over Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it had destroyed 45 Shahed drones made in Iran overnight—32 on Sunday after midnight and 13 on Saturday night. In addition, the country has been the target of 31 missile attacks and 12 air strikes in the past 24 hours.
In a stern New Year’s speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear that he would not slow down his attack on Ukraine. This was in contrast to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s message of gratitude and unity.
Some people shouted “Glory to Ukraine! ” from their balconies as Kyiv’s sirens blared. Heroes are heroes!
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s statement on social media, fragments from the late-night attack caused minimal damage in the center of the capital, and preliminary reports indicated that there were no wounded or dead. Earlier on Saturday, residential buildings and a hotel in the capital were the targets of attacks, which left at least one person dead and more than 20 injured.
Bridget Brink, the American Ambassador to Ukraine, wrote on Twitter: Ukraine was attacked in the early hours of the new year by Russia in a cold and cowardly manner. However, Putin still does not appear to comprehend that Ukrainians are iron.”
In the eastern Donetsk Province of Ukraine, troops celebrated the new year at the front line. After 12 of his fellow soldiers were killed in a single night, 27-year-old soldier Pavlo Pryzhehodskiy performed a song he had written on guitar at the front.
“It is sad that people were forced to seek shelter, and some were killed,” he told Reuters. “It is sad that instead of meeting friends, celebrating, and giving gifts to one another.” It’s a terrible tragedy. It is a terrible incident that will never be forgotten. As a result, the New Year is a sad one.”
Soldier Oleh Zahrodskiy, 49, said he had signed up as a volunteer after his son was called up to fight as a reservist in a nearby front line trench. While his father manned the front, his son was currently battling for his life in a hospital in the southern city of Dnipro due to a brain injury.
He choked back tears as he said, “It is very tough now.”
The chief of Kyiv’s police, Andrii Nebytov, shared a picture on his Telegram messaging app that showed what was described as a drone used in an attack on the capital, complete with a handwritten Russian message that read “Happy New Year.”
Nebytov stated, “This wreckage is not at the front, where fierce battles are taking place, but here, on a sports grounds, where children play.”
Long-range missiles, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry, were used to target Ukrainian drone production, storage, and launch sites on New Year’s Eve.
Since Putin ordered his invasion in February, Russia has destroyed Ukrainian cities and killed thousands of civilians, claiming that Ukraine was a fake state whose pro-Western outlook threatened Russia’s security. Since then, Moscow has claimed to have annexed roughly five percent of Ukraine.
With Western military assistance, Ukraine has retaliated, driving Russian forces from more than half of the territory they seized. During the past few weeks, the front lines have been mostly still, and intense trench warfare has resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers.
Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have been widespread since October, bringing darkness and cold to cities as winter approaches. Moscow says the strikes intend to lessen Ukraine’s capacity to battle; Kyiv says they have no tactical reason and are planned to hurt regular citizens, an atrocity.
Instead of the usual backdrop of the Kremlin walls, Putin said in a New Year’s Eve address, “The main thing is the fate of Russia.” He spoke to a group of people dressed in military uniforms. Our sacred duty to our ancestors and descendants is to defend the country. Our side is moral and historical righteousness.”
In front of a fluttering Ukrainian flag, Zelenskiy gave his own speech almost in complete darkness. He referred to the previous year as a “national awakening.”
“We were told: You have no choice but to give up. We say: “Winning is our only option,” he stated.
“This year has moved us deeply. We have shed all of our tears. Zelenskiy stated, “We’ve shouted all the prayers.” We fight, and we’ll keep fighting. In consideration of the key word: victory’.”
According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the most recent air strikes destroyed infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the southeast and south, Sumy in the northeast, Khmelnytskyi in the west, and Sumy in the northeast.
On Telegram, Zaporizhzhia region governor Oleksandr Starukh reported that shelling in Orikhiv resulted in one death and three injuries.
The electricity situation was “under control,” according to grid operator Ukrenergo, and emergency outages were not being implemented.
In Russia, the governor of the southern region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that overnight shelling of the Shebekino town outskirts had damaged houses but not killed anyone.
Multiple Ukrainian attacks on Moscow-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were also reported by Russian media, with at least nine wounded, according to local officials.
A local doctor told Russia’s RIA state news agency that a hospital in Donetsk was attacked on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of six people. Ukrainian shelling had also claimed the life of one person, according to proxy authorities in Donetsk.
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