Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve

Ukrainian firefighters put out a fire in a house destroyed by Russian missiles in Kiev (December 31, 2022)

Russia launched missile attacks on the whole of Ukraine on New Year’s Eve, killing at least one person and wounding 28. The city of Kiev was hit by eight violent explosions.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed and 11 others wounded, including a Japanese journalist, one of whom was in serious condition. He warned residents to stay inside the shelter.

Russian missiles hit a residential building in downtown Kiev, including a hotel and the Royal Palace and Concert Hall of Ukraine.

Explosions were also reported in other parts of Ukraine, including the eastern Donetsk region. The mayor of Kramatorsk said a missile hit a target in an industrial zone, but there were no casualties.

Vitaliy Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region, said at least six people were injured in the city of Mykolaiv, three of whom were taken to the hospital for treatment and one was in serious condition.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy director of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said two people were wounded in missile attacks in the western city of Khmelnytskyi; Residential buildings were damaged in Zaporizhzhia city, but the number of casualties and damage is being understood.

Earlier social media reports said that air defense systems were working in Kiev, Kherson, and Kharkiv.

In an intelligence update Saturday, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia is expected to continue to launch “intensive” long-range attacks across Ukraine, “primarily against power distribution networks.” “

Russia will almost certainly continue to do this, trying to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.” It is actually possible that Russia will break this pattern in the coming days and launch another attack to demoralize the Ukrainian population during the New Year’s holiday.

In a New Year’s video address Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would not allow the West to try to use Ukraine as a tool to destroy Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu vowed earlier Saturday that victory in Ukraine was “inevitable.”

The local Telegram channel said that on Saturday afternoon local time, the Dzhankoi military airport in Russian-occupied Crimea was attacked by a high-precision guided weapon and exploded. The Armed Forces of Ukraine also reported an explosion at this airfield.

The Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the incident, nor did the occupation authorities.

(Part of this article draws on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.)