When a large part of the world was celebrating the new year with cheers, the air traffic alert sounded in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Again the rockets of death rained down – the first bomb attack of 2023 hit two districts of the city.
In one of his New Year’s Eve messages, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Russian people directly – in Russian:
– This war that you are fighting is not a war against NATO, as your propaganda machine falsely claims. It is not for any historical cause. The goal is for a man to retain power for the rest of his life.
Just before the state of emergency came into effect at 23, 10-year-old Anastasia expressed her wishes for the new year:
– I wish that no more rockets will hit. I want to be happy and for Ukraine to be beautiful.