Ukrainians woke up to a grim 2023 on Sunday, reeling from more sirens and fresh missile attacks on their territory, as the death toll from Russia’s massive New Year Eve assault across the country climbed to at least four. Follow our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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7:28pm: Our unity contrasts with Russian fear, says Ukraine's Zelensky
Ukraine's unity and sense of purpose contrast sharply with the fear that prevails throughout Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
"The feeling we all have of unity, of authenticity, of life itself, contrasts sharply with the fear that prevails in Russia," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
"They are afraid. You can feel it. And they are right to be afraid. Because they will lose. Drones, missiles, everything else will not help them. Because we stand united. They are united only by fear."
4:41pm: Families in Kyiv had a sombre New Year's Eve
Alina Dedovets spent New Year's Eve in a bombed-out city, confined to her flat with her two children but without her husband, who was on the front lines. "I'm wishing for our Ukraine to win and that we can finally be together again," she told him over the phone.
FRANCE 24's Mélina Huet, Luke Shrago and Daryna Viter report.
3:28pm: Russia's New Year raids on Ukraine kill four, wound dozens
Russia's New Year assaults on Ukraine left four people dead and wounded dozens this weekend as Moscow on Sunday claimed to have thwarted Kyiv's "terror attacks" on the homeland.
The Ukrainian capital and other cities came under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones on Saturday, killing three people.
At least one drone had the Russian words "Happy New Year" scrawled on it in red, according to a picture released by the Ukrainian authorities.
A new attack on Sunday killed one person in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and wounded another three, authorities said.
1:26pm: New Year attacks targeted Ukraine drone production, says Moscow
Moscow said on Sunday its New Year attacks on Ukraine targeted the pro-Western country's drone production, claiming it had managed to scupper Kyiv's "terror attacks" against Russia.
Russia's defence ministry said a strike hit "the facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine" which is involved in the production of drones, and that the "plans of the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks against Russia in the near future have been thwarted".
12:04pm: ‘He touched everyone’: Ukrainians in Kyiv react to Zelensky’s New Year’s Eve speech
FRANCE 24 interviewed Ukrainians in Kyiv who reacted to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s New Year’s Eve address, in which Zelensky paid tribute to those taking part in the country’s effort to resist the Russian invasion and pledged that Ukraine would fight until victory.
11:35am: Ukraine shot down more than 40 Russian drones in overnight attacks, air force says
Ukraine shot down 45 Russian drones overnight as the pro-Western country rang in the New Year, the air force said on Sunday.
In a New Year's Eve assault, Moscow attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with missiles and Iranian-made drones.
Ukraine's air force said in a statement that air defences destroyed 45 "Shahed" drones. Thirteen drones were shot down at the end of 2022 and another 32 in the new year, the statement said.
Ukrainian authorities did not say if some of the drones reached their targets.
8:04am: Blasts hit two Kyiv districts minutes into the new year
The first blasts of the new year began roughly 30 minutes after midnight, hitting two districts, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Fragments from a missile destroyed by Ukrainian air defence systems damaged a car in the capital's centre, Klitschko said.
Kyiv's city military administration said that 23 Russian-launched "air objects" had been destroyed.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
