Ukrainians cheer 2023 as drones are blasted from the skies - Reuters

KYIV/DONETSK PROVINCE FRONT LINE, Ukraine, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainians cheered from their balconies portion their aerial defences blasted Russian missiles and drones retired of the entity successful the archetypal hours of 2023, arsenic Moscow saw successful the caller twelvemonth by attacking civilian targets crossed Ukraine.

Ukraine's Air Force bid said it had destroyed 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight -- 32 of them connected Sunday aft midnight and 13 precocious connected Saturday. That was connected apical of 31 rocket attacks and 12 aerial strikes crossed the state successful the past 24 hours.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled nary let-up to his battle connected Ukraine, successful a grim and defiant New Year's code that contrasted with a hopeful connection of gratitude and unity from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

As sirens blared successful Kyiv, immoderate radical shouted from their balconies, "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!"

Fragments from the late-night onslaught caused minimal harm successful the capital's centre, and preliminarily reports indicated determination were nary wounded oregon casualties, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said connected societal media. Attacks earlier connected Saturday had deed residential buildings and a edifice successful the capital, sidesplitting astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic and injuring much than 20.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said connected Twitter: "Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine successful the aboriginal hours of the caller year. But Putin inactive does not look to recognize that Ukrainians are made of iron."

At the beforehand enactment successful Urkaine's eastbound Donetsk Province, troops toasted the caller year. Soldier Pavlo Pryzhehodskiy, 27, played a opus connected guitar helium had written astatine the beforehand aft 12 of his comrades were killed successful a azygous night.

"It is bittersweet that alternatively of gathering friends, celebrating and giving gifts to 1 different radical were forced to question shelter, immoderate were killed," helium told Reuters. "It is simply a immense tragedy. It is simply a immense calamity that cannot ever beryllium forgiven. That is wherefore the New Year is sad."

In a adjacent beforehand enactment trench, worker Oleh Zahrodskiy, 49, said helium had signed up arsenic a unpaid aft his lad was called up to combat arsenic a reservist. His lad was present successful a infirmary successful the confederate metropolis of Dnipro, warring for his beingness with a encephalon injury, portion his begetter manned the front.

"It is precise pugnacious now," helium said, holding backmost tears.

'HAPPY NEW YEAR'

Andrii Nebytov, main of Kyiv's police, posted a photograph connected his Telegram messaging app, showing what was described arsenic a portion of drone utilized successful an onslaught connected the capital, with a hand-written motion connected it successful Russian saying "Happy New Year".

"This wreckage is not astatine the front, wherever fierce battles are taking place, this is here, connected a sports grounds, wherever children play," Nebytov said.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had targeted production, retention and motorboat sites of Ukrainian drones with agelong scope missiles connected New Year's Eve.

Russia has flattened Ukrainian cities and killed thousands of civilians since Putin ordered his penetration successful February, claiming Ukraine was an artificial authorities whose pro-Western outlook threatened Russia's security. Moscow has since claimed to person annexed astir a 5th of Ukraine.

Ukraine has fought backmost with Western subject support, driving Russian forces from much than fractional the territory they seized. In caller weeks, the beforehand lines person been mostly static, with thousands of soldiers dying successful aggravated trench warfare arsenic Moscow defends its grip connected captured territory.

Since October, Russia has launched wide rocket and drone attacks connected Ukraine's vigor infrastructure, casting cities into acheronian and acold arsenic wintertime sets in. Moscow says the strikes purpose to trim Ukraine's quality to fight; Kyiv says they person nary subject intent and are intended to wounded civilians, a warfare crime.

"The main happening is the destiny of Russia," a stern-faced Putin said successful his New Year's Eve address, speaking successful beforehand of a radical of radical dressed successful subject azygous alternatively of the mean backdrop of the Kremlin walls. "Defence of the fatherland is our ineffable work to our ancestors and descendants. Moral, humanities righteousness is connected our side."

Zelenskiy delivered his ain code successful adjacent darkness, successful beforehand of a fluttering Ukrainian flag. He described the twelvemonth past arsenic a nationalist awakening.

"We were told: you person nary different enactment but to surrender. We say: we person nary different enactment than to win," helium said.

"This twelvemonth has struck our hearts. We've cried retired each the tears. We've shouted each the prayers," Zelenskiy said. "We combat and volition proceed to fight. For the involvement of the cardinal word: 'victory'."

The latest aerial strikes damaged infrastructure successful Sumy, successful the northeast of the country, Khmelnytskyi successful the westbound and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson successful southeast and south, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.

"Let the time beryllium quiet," Valentyn Reznichenko, politician of the Dnipropetrovsk portion said aboriginal connected Sunday, aft reporting dense shelling of respective communities successful the portion overnight that wounded one.

Grid relation Ukrenergo said connected Sunday the past time had been "difficult" for its workers but the energy concern was "under control" and exigency outages were not being implemented.

Separately, Vyacheslav Gladkov, politician of the confederate Russian portion of Belgorod bordering Ukraine, said overnight shelling of the outskirts of Shebekino municipality had damaged houses but determination were nary casualties.

Russian media besides reported aggregate Ukrainian attacks connected the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with section officials saying astatine slightest 9 radical were wounded.

Russia's RIA authorities quality bureau cited a section doc arsenic saying six radical were killed erstwhile a infirmary successful Donetsk was attacked connected Saturday. Proxy authorities successful Donetsk besides said 1 idiosyncratic had been killed by Ukrainian shelling.

Reuters could not verify the reports. There was nary contiguous effect from Kyiv, which seldom comments connected attacks wrong Russia oregon connected Russian-controlled territories successful Ukraine.

Reporting by Gleb Garanich, Valentyn Ogirenko, Dan Peleshchuk and Sergiy Karazy successful Kyiv and Herbert Villarraga astatine the beforehand enactment successful Donetsk province; Writing by Peter Graff, Lidia Kelly and Dan Peleschuk Editing by Kim Coghill and Frances Kerry

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