As the world welcomed the New Year, tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine, with reports of Russia launching missiles and drones on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The events unfolded just hours after Moscow accused Kyiv of a deadly air assault near the border in Belgorod.
In the initial waves of the attacks on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials reported at least six missiles striking the city, causing injuries to at least 22 people. The missiles were said to hit 12 apartment buildings, 13 residential houses, and a kindergarten.
Closer to midnight, part of a broader bombardment of Ukraine that included Kyiv, multiple waves of Russian drones reportedly targeted residential buildings in Kharkiv’s centre, resulting in fires, according to the mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Despite the attacks, Mayor Ihor Terekhov expressed resilience:”On the eve of the New Year, the Russians want to intimidate our city, but we are not scared – we are unbreakable and invincible!”
The assaults followed Moscow’s claim of an indiscriminate Ukrainian air attack on Belgorod, just north of Ukraine’s border, resulting in at least 22 casualties. Russian reports suggested that Ukraine launched the attack on Belgorod from multiple rocket launchers in the Kharkiv region.
Mayor Terekhov shared images depicting blown-out windows of residential buildings and firefighters combating fires in what appeared to be a store.
These events unfolded against a backdrop of increased hostilities between the two nations in the final week of 2023. Russia’s largest air assault on Ukraine, occurring on Friday, resulted in the tragic loss of at least 31 civilians.