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The Russian President praised Vladimir Putin In his New Year's speech, he described the Russian soldiers as heroes, and in return, the Ukrainian president threatened Volodymyr Zelensky Yesterday, Sunday, he “destroyed” the Russian forces that have been waging a war against his country for two years.
The Ukrainian army announced on Monday that Russia Last night, a drone attack was carried out targeting the Odessa port structure, resulting in a fire at one of the docks.
The Southern Military Command of the Ukrainian Army confirmed via the Telegram application that Russia's priority is to target the infrastructure of the port of Odessa, where a large number of marches were directed from the sea to the coastal area, noting that the fire was extinguished immediately and no casualties were recorded.
On Sunday, the head of the Ukrainian Donetsk region, who was appointed by Russia, Denis Pushlin, announced that 4 people had been killed as a result of a Ukrainian bombing of the city, at a time when Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had carried out a new air attack on some areas.
Pushlin indicated via the Telegram application that about 13 people were also injured in a “strong attack” by Ukrainian forces in central Donetsk.
In the same context, local authorities announced that a person had been killed in South Odessa Ukraineand 4 others in Donetsk, east of the country, as a result of strikes last night, Sunday, following the escalation of violence between Moscow and Kiev.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia carried out a new air attack during the night, targeting the regions of Mykolaiv, Odessa and Dnipro.
Speech of the Russian President
In his speech, Putin focused on the values of unity and common resolve, without clearly referring to the current situation in Ukraine.
The pre-recorded speech represented a marked change from Putin's speech last year, in which he stood behind grim-looking soldiers to issue a powerful call for sacrifice in what he described as a “fight for life.”
Putin expressed his support for all participants in combat positions or those standing on the front lines in their battle “for truth and justice,” considering them heroes, and expressing his pride and admiration for their courage.
In his speech, Putin did not refer to Ukraine by name, nor did he mention the term “special military operation” that he adopted to describe the Russian war against Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian news agencies later reported the spokesman's statement KremlinDmitry Peskov, said that Putin had made a phone call with commanders in 6 military sectors within the framework of the Russian war in Ukraine, where he offered them congratulations on the occasion of the New Year.
In the past few months, Putin has toned down his nationalist messaging on Ukraine, focusing on economic issues and inflation, due to the presidential elections scheduled for March.
He stressed in his speech that Russia has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to face difficult challenges, and that it will never back down, as “there is no force capable of separating it.”
In his speech, Putin did not address the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who are rumored to have been killed or injured, nor did he talk about the conflict reaching Russian territory, as was evident in a Ukrainian attack on Saturday on the city of… Belgorod 34 kilometers from the border.
Likewise, he did not mention the armed rebellion led by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, President Wagner Group Special Military, in June 2023.
Zelensky promises to destroy Russian forces
On the other hand, the Ukrainian president announced in his New Year's speech on Sunday his intention to “destroy” Russian forces in Ukraine, after strikes in Donetsk and Odessa killed 5 people.
Zelensky stressed that Russia will witness the consequences of domestic Ukrainian military production this year, noting the presence of one million drones in its arsenal in 2024, in addition to F-16 fighter jets provided by its Western partners.
The New Year's message comes less than 72 hours after Moscow's heavy bombardment of Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones, leading to the death of 39 people in one of the largest air attacks since the beginning of the war.
Zelensky pointed out that Ukrainian pilots are proficient in using F-16 aircraft, stressing that these aircraft will soon be seen in the country's skies, and thus “their enemies will see the effect of their anger.”
He appealed to his Western allies to maintain their support, stressing that the Ukrainian people “remain strong in the face of any conspiracies,” and warned against all attempts to undermine global solidarity and undermine the allied alliance.
Attacks escalated
Confrontations escalated between Moscow AndKyiv In recent days, Belgorod, Russia, witnessed an unprecedented attack, which led to the death of 24 people last Saturday, after a missile attack on Ukraine on Friday. Kiev described this attack as “huge” and resulted in the deaths of about 40 people.
Yesterday, Sunday, Russia launched an attack on the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine in response to the unprecedented attack that targeted the city of Belgorod.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that the city of Kharkiv was targeted with 6 guided missiles, and announced the destruction of 21 out of 49 Iranian-made “Shahed” drones launched by Russia during the night, which were specifically targeting the regions of southern and eastern Ukraine.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that the armed forces bombed “decision-making centers and military facilities” in Kharkiv.
While the governor of the region, Oleg Sinigubov, denied the Russian announcement and pointed out that the missiles launched on Saturday evening hit a hotel, residential buildings, clinics and hospitals.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, the attack resulted in the injury of 28 people, including two young men and a Briton who serves as a security advisor to a group of German journalists.
