On New Year's Eve, the Russians bombed Ukraine with drones that read "Happy New Year." The attack resulted in dozens of victims
On New Year's Eve, the Russians attacked Ukraine with drones that read "Happy New Year." According to local media, at least one Ukrainian woman was killed as a result of the missile strikes, and dozens of people were injured. In Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, air raid alerts could be heard as early as 11:00 p.m. As the sirens blared, several people in Kyiv shouted from their balconies "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!". The attacks came minutes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's New Year's Eve message, which said 2023 would be the year of victory.
The capital Kyiv was the target of air strikes by Russian forces on New Year's Eve. The Ukrainian defense announces that it has shot down more than 30 "air targets" over the Kyiv region. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sent a New Year's message saying Ukrainians are ready to fight again this year to return to normal life. "We are all Ukraine," said Volodymyr Zelensky. At the same time, he also addressed the Russian people, according to CNN. "All this war that you are waging, you - Russia - it is not a war with NATO, as your propagandists lie. It is not for something historical. It is for a person to stay in power until the end of his life. And what will happen to all of you, citizens of Russia, is none of his business. He (n.r. Putin) hides behind the troops, behind the rockets, behind the walls of his homes and palaces. He hides behind you and sets fire to your country and your future. No one will ever forgive you for terror. Ukraine will not forgive you," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the same time, on Saturday, both Ukraine and Russia announced an exchange of prisoners of war. Andrei Iermak, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, wrote in a message on Telegram that 140 prisoners of war have been released - including defenders of Mariupol and soldiers who defended Snake Island. “On New Year's Eve we not only repelled enemy missile attacks, but brought our men home. It's another big exchange that we managed to do - 140 people are returning home. Among them are wounded, as well as defenders from Mariupol, Snake Island, territorial defense volunteers from Slavutici, fathers and sons who were together in captivity, as well as our soldiers from the direction of Bahmut", said the head of the Cabinet of the Ukrainian president, Andrei Iermak. This is the 35th exchange of prisoners, according to the Ukrainian Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The agency said 1,596 people - including military personnel and civilians - had been released from Russian captivity through negotiations. The exchange includes 187 women freed since the beginning of the invasion, according to officials cited by CNN. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said 82 servicemen had returned. "The released personnel will be flown to Moscow by military transport aircraft for further treatment and rehabilitation at the health facilities of the Russian Ministry of Defense," the statement added. Meanwhile, more than thirty percent of the capital Kyiv is without power due to emergency outages, according to the city's mayor, Vitali Kliciko. The mayor of the capital added that the residents of Kiev have water and heat. Kliciko also said there were restrictions on an open section of the metro line in the city to check for "missile debris". "Specialists are on their way to that area," he said. "We will inform you about the resumption of traffic on the red line," wrote Vitali Kliciko on Telegram. According to the mayor of Kyiv, on New Year's Eve, fragments from a Russian missile destroyed by Ukrainian air defense systems damaged a car in the center of the capital, but there were no injuries or casualties. The military administration of the city of Kyiv announced that more than 30 "air objects" launched by Russia were destroyed.
