It has been 677 days since the war began, and Russia has launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. At least 28 people were injured after six missiles hit the city of Kharkiv. Russia claimed that this attack was in retaliation for a deadly Ukrainian air raid on a Russian city near the border. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they had destroyed 21 of the 49 Iranian-made drones that were fired by Russia. Additionally, there were casualties in a village near the front line, and in the southern city of Kherson where a 14-year-old boy was killed and a 9-year-old boy was critically injured.
In his New Year address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to rally the country and highlighted the strength and unity of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s aggression. He promised that Ukraine would wreak “wrath” on Russian forces in 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin made passing reference to the invasion in his New Year’s address, praising Russia’s soldiers on the front line and calling for unity among Russians.