Putin announces "intensification" of attacks on Ukraine
During a visit to a military hospital on New Year's Day, Putin announced that Russia would "intensify" its attacks on "military facilities" in Ukraine in light of the Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod. He emphasized: "No crime against civilians will go unpunished."
In his New Year's address, he also assured that his country would "never" back down. Russia had "fiercely defended" its interests in 2023, he said. Russia, which is going through a "historic phase", will be "even stronger" next year, he said.
The attack on Belgorod was an "act of terrorism", Putin said, accusing the Ukrainian army of attacking "in the center of the city", "where people go for a walk before the New Year". At the same time, the Kremlin leader said that Ukraine itself was "not an enemy". He accused Western countries of using the authorities in Kiev to "settle their own problems" with Russia.
Two people were killed in a drone attack on a two-storey residential building in the north-eastern region of Sumy, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry announced on Monday. According to the regional head of administration Oleksandr Prokudin, a woman was killed in Kherson. According to the local governor Oleh Kiper, at least one person was killed by Russian fire in the south-western region of Odessa.
According to the Ukrainian air force, nine out of ten Russian Shahed drones were intercepted on Monday afternoon.
Four people died in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, according to the head of the administration appointed by Russia, Denis Pushilin. According to the Russian news agency Tass, one of them was a journalist. Pushilin accused Ukraine of using cluster bombs.
Fighting between Kiev and Moscow has intensified in recent days. On Friday, Ukraine was hit by one of the heaviest waves of Russian attacks since the start of the war, in which 39 people were killed according to Ukrainian reports.
After a subsequent Ukrainian attack on the Russian border region of Belgorod on Saturday, the death toll rose to 25. A four-year-old girl succumbed to her serious injuries, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
New Year's Day was declared a day of mourning in Kiev to commemorate the 19 people who were killed in the capital alone on Friday.
On Saturday, two ZDF employees from a team led by reporter Alica Jung were also injured in a Russian missile attack on a hotel in Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine, which was mainly used by journalists. A Ukrainian translator was hit by debris and suffered serious injuries, according to ZDF. A security guard escaped with minor injuries.
In his New Year's address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi referred to what he sees as the growing effectiveness of his army. Ukraine will have at least "one million" additional drones in its arsenal by 2024, said Zelenskyi on New Year's Eve. In addition, there would be F-16 fighter jets supplied by Western partners.
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- Vladimir Putin, during his visit to a military hospital on New Year's Day, announced that Russia would intensify its attacks on military facilities in Ukraine.
- The attack on Belgord, according to Putin, was an act of terrorism, with him accusing the Ukrainian army of attacking in the center of the city.
- Putin emphasized that no crime against civilians would go unpunished and assured that Russia would never back down.
- Russia, which is going through a historic phase, will be even stronger next year, Putin said in his New Year's address.
- The Kremlin leader also accused Western countries of using the authorities in Kiev to settle their own problems with Russia.
- During his visit, Putin also met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and discussed the situation in Ukraine.
- The attack on a two-storey residential building in the north-eastern region of Sumy, announced by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, left two people dead.
- The Ukrainian air force intercepted nine out of ten Russian Shahed drones on Monday afternoon, according to Ukrainian sources.
- Denis Pushilin, the head of the administration appointed by Russia in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, announced the death of four people due to Ukrainian attacks.
Source: www.stern.de
