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‘We judge successful you and our victory,’ Putin says successful address, 26 years to the time from erstwhile helium archetypal assumed presidency, and calls connected Russians to enactment the troops.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his state believes it volition triumph the warfare successful Ukraine, astir 4 years aft helium launched an penetration of the neighbouring nation, successful comments made during his televised yearly New Year’s Eve address.
The Russian person called connected the state connected Wednesday to “support our heroes” warring successful Ukraine, wherever troops person been waging a brutal violative since February 2022.
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“We judge successful you and our victory,” helium said, though the result of the struggle remains acold from determined amid concerted bid negotiations and ongoing intensive warring connected the battlefield.
The code came 26 years aft Putin’s predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, unexpectedly announced his resignation during his New Year’s Eve address, handing powerfulness astatine the crook of the millennium to Putin, a erstwhile quality serviceman turned person who had served for months arsenic his premier minister.
Putin has since reshaped the state successful his image, and made respective affirmative references to the regularisation of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and sought to banish what helium has described arsenic years of humiliation aft the dissolution of the Soviet Union successful 1991.
He devastated the breakaway republic of Chechnya, invaded Georgia and propped up the Syrian authorities of Bashar al-Assad, earlier it fell years later, with dense bombing of civilians successful absorption areas.
There person been fears successful Europe that the Kremlin’s Ukraine warfare could spillover into its borders if it doesn’t extremity soon.
Earlier, Russia’s defence ministry had released a video that it claimed showed a downed drone that had been progressive successful an attempted Ukrainian attack connected 1 of Putin’s residences successful Novgorod, a portion successful northwestern Russia, this week.
Kyiv denies immoderate onslaught took place, accusing Moscow of having fabricated the assertion successful a mendacious emblem effort to warrant further aggression. Russia has said it volition instrumentality a harder enactment successful US-brokered bid negotiations implicit Ukraine arsenic a effect of the alleged attack, which it has labelled a “terrorist” act.
A Russian work subordinate stands adjacent to the remains of a drone, which the Russian Defence Ministry says was downed during the repelling of an alleged Ukrainian onslaught connected 1 of Putin’s residences [Handout: Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters]Moscow has said that the alleged onslaught was thwarted erstwhile 91 drones were changeable down by aerial defences, and that nary 1 was injured and Putin’s residence was unscathed.
The video, changeable astatine nighttime successful the dark, showed a damaged drone lying successful the snowfall successful a forested area. The ministry besides published a video with a antheral it called a witness, saying helium was a section villager from the colony of Roshchino.
Russia’s assertion of the onslaught prompted statements of interest from the United Arab Emirates, India and Pakistan, prompting Kyiv successful crook to criticise them for weighing successful connected an onslaught it says ne'er took place.
But the Russian assertion has been viewed with much scepticism by Ukraine’s Western allies.
On Wednesday, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s apical diplomat, accused Russia of trying to “derail” bid talks with its “unfounded claims”.
“Russia’s assertion that Ukraine precocious targeted cardinal authorities sites successful Russia is simply a deliberate distraction. Moscow aims to derail existent advancement towards bid by Ukraine and its Western partners,” she posted connected X.
“No 1 should judge unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians since the commencement of the war.”
In this photograph provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, exigency services unit enactment to extinguish a occurrence pursuing a Russian onslaught successful Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, December 31, 2025 [(Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP]Children among injured successful Odesa
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said that six radical had been injured successful overnight Russian drone attacks connected flat buildings and the powerfulness grid successful the confederate metropolis of Odesa.
A toddler and 2 different children were among those injured, portion 4 flat buildings were damaged successful the bombardment, according to determination subject medication caput Oleh Kiper.
Power institution DTEK said 2 of its vigor facilities suffered important damage. “Restoring the equipment to moving condition volition take time,” DTEK said successful a statement.
The attacks came arsenic Russia’s apical wide said its forces were pressing forward successful the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv successful northeastern Ukraine, seeking to grow what Moscow calls a buffer portion successful the territory successful 2026, Russian media outlets reported.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Putin had ordered the enlargement adjacent twelvemonth of the alleged buffer zone adjacent the Russian border, RIA reported.
Putin has repeatedly described the buffer portion arsenic a mode to thrust Ukrainian forces further from Russia’s border, portion Kyiv has rejected the concept, calling it an idea Russia is utilizing to warrant deeper incursions into Ukrainian territory.
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