On New Year’s Day, the war in Ukraine continues unabated. This is the live blog of day 312. Follow the latest news about the war and all its consequences in this live blog.
This is the live blog of Sunday January 1st. Follow the live blog on Monday January 2 for the latest developments.
Ukraine: Dozens of attack drones shot down earlier this year
11:33 am | Ukraine says it shot down dozens of Iranian-made attack drones towards the end of the year. It will be 1.00 pm on Saturday evening and 32.00 after midnight. It has not been reported whether those drones achieved their goals.
The Kiev police chief posted a photo of a downed drone with the text “Happy New Year” in Russian on Facebook. Parts of Ukraine, including Kiev, entered the new year with an air raid siren that blared for hours. Due to different curfews, the New Year in Ukraine was mostly celebrated indoors.
President Volodimir Zelensky gave courage to the people just before midnight. “I want to wish all of us one thing: victory. And this is the most important thing,” the president said in a video message. In it, he stressed that Ukraine is ready to fight for a return to pre-war life. He concluded his last 2022 message with “Glory to Ukraine, happy new year”.
The Russians are excessively depleting their ammunition stocks
09:30 | It is very likely that the Russian military is running out of artillery ammunition and will therefore be less able to keep up with the pace of warfare in the foreseeable future, concludes the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In a New Year’s update, the think tank said that ammunition shortages were likely to discourage Russian troops from maintaining a high operational pace in the hard-fought area around Bachmut in eastern Ukraine.
The ISW also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Year’s speech “clearly showed that he is not sure he can continue to convince Russians that war is justified”.
Zelensky hopes for victory in the New Year’s wish
09:21 | “Ukraine will continue to fight until it wins.” This is what Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky says in his New Year’s greeting. The year 2022 has hurt our hearts. We cried all our tears. And we’re not sure what the new year will bring, but I wish each of us victory.”
Zelensky hopes 2023 will be his comeback year. ‘The return of soldiers, prisoners and immigrants. The return of our country. And the return to normal life. Of happy times without a curfew,” Zelensky said in a message he distributed via Telegram.
Shortly before midnight (local time), the president also appeared on television, where he gave a short speech. “We hope that the new year brings us all of this. We are ready to fight for it,” he said.
New Year begins in Ukraine with air raid siren, explosion in Kiev
00:01 | In large parts of Ukraine, air raid sirens sounded after midnight (local time), local authorities said. At least one explosion was also heard in the capital Kiev in the first hour of 2023. The city council reports that anti-aircraft guns have been activated.
Shortly before midnight, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky gave a speech in which he said he hoped for victory in 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his New Year’s speech today that he was “historically right,” referring to the war in Ukraine .
On New Year’s Eve, Ukraine was also rocked by rocket attacks. Journalists from the French news agency AFP later heard at least eleven loud explosions in Kiev. The mayor of the capital said at least one person was killed.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
