Because the warfare enters its 677th day, these are the principle developments.
Right here is the state of affairs on Monday, January 1, 2024.
Preventing
- Russia launched a brand new wave of drone and missile assaults throughout Ukraine, with no less than 28 folks injured after six missiles hit the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv. Russia stated the assault on Ukraine’s second largest metropolis was “retaliation” for a lethal Ukrainian air raid on the Russian metropolis of Belgorod not removed from the border. Moscow focused a lodge housing navy commanders and “foreign mercenaries” in addition to the headquarters of the Ukrainian Safety Service for the area. Kharkiv metropolis officers stated the missiles struck residential buildings, resorts and medical services, whereas drones hit residential buildings.
- Ukraine’s Air Power stated it had destroyed 21 of 49 Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia fired in its newest assault. Most had been aimed on the entrance line and elements of the Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia areas, it stated.
- Individually, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov stated that three folks had been killed when Russian forces shelled a village close to the entrance line.
- Within the southern Ukrainian metropolis of Kherson, in the meantime, Russian shelling killed a 14-year-old boy and left a 9-year-old boy in hospital in crucial situation, based on regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Politics and diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck an optimistic notice as he sought to rally the nation in his New Yr tackle. The 20-minute video message from his Kyiv workplace made nearly no direct reference to the state of affairs on the 1,000km (600-mile) entrance line or the restricted success of a counteroffensive launched in June. Nor did it check with the political and diplomatic challenges going through Kyiv because it seeks to safe continued navy and different support from its allies. As an alternative, Zelenskyy confused the energy and unity of the Ukrainian folks within the face of Russia’s aggression and referenced successes in opposition to the Russian Navy within the Black Sea. He promised that Ukraine would wreak “wrath” on Russian forces in 2024.
- In his New Yr’s tackle, Russian President Vladimir Putin made solely passing reference to the invasion, praising Russia’s troopers on the entrance line as “heroes” in a struggle for “truth and justice”. He additionally known as for unity amongst Russians within the face of “difficult tasks” and lauded Russian residents’ “solidarity, mercy and fortitude.” The four-minute pre-recorded video was aired simply earlier than midnight in every of Russia’s 11 time zones.