Russia, Ukraine Renew Hostilities On New Year Day, Kill Five People, Several Others Injured

Russia, Ukraine Renew Hostilities On New Year Day, Kill Five People, Several Others Injured

The attack on the civilian area came after Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pledged in his New Year's address to unleash the fury of Ukraine's increased military forces on Russia.A

About five people died on Monday as Russia and Ukraine clashed again during the New Year Celebration.

The attack on the civilian area came after Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pledged in his New Year's address to unleash the fury of Ukraine's increased military forces on Russia.

It was learnt that the shelling authorised by Kyiv killed four people according to Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the Donetsk region.

He wrote on Telegram that "heavy shelling" by Ukrainian forces also left 14 people injured.

Also, Ukrainian officials said Russian air attacks on Odesa in the south killed at least one person.

Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region, said on Telegram that several people were injured by falling debris after a Russian drone attack caused fires in some residential buildings. Kiper added that Ukraine's air defense systems were engaged in repelling the drones.

Ukraine's air force said Russia's air attacks also targeted the Mykolaiv and Dnieper regions, while governor Maksym Kozytskyi of Lviv said air defense systems were engaged in repelling a Russian drone attack on the city in the west.

As the violence swelled between Ukraine and Russia, Zelenskyy promised  to wreak "wrath" against Russian forces in 2024.

In his televised New Year's address, the Ukrainian president said, "Next year, the enemy will feel the wrath of domestic production."

Zelenskyy announced at least "a million" additional drones as well as F-16 fighter jets promised by its Western partners.

"No matter how many rockets the enemy launches, no matter how many shellings and attacks — vile, merciless, massive — the enemy carries out in an attempt to break Ukrainians, intimidate, knock Ukraine down, drive it underground, we will still rise," he said.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putindid not reference Ukraine by name or Moscow's "special military operation," as Russia continues to refer to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in his address, but said that Russia "will never retreat."

On Friday, in the most recent escalation of the violence, a barrage of missiles and drones attacking Ukrainian cities killed 39 people.

A day later, Kyiv replied by attacking the southern Russian city of Belgorod with missiles and drones, killing 24 and injured over 100.