Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo / Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo / Getty Images
Vladimir Putin has urged Russians to believe in victory in Ukraine during his annual New Year’s Eve address, as his country marked the holiday at war for the fourth year running.
The Russian President’s speech – which lasted just over three minutes – capped a year marked by steady Russianadvances on the battlefield, mounting military casualties on both sides and a US-led diplomatic push to end the fighting.
Russia accused Ukraine of firing dozens of drones at one of Putin’s homes earlier this week, a claim that Kyiv said Moscow invented to manipulate the peace process.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European security advisers about putting peace efforts back on track in the new year, saying there was “important work” ahead.
Putin did not mention the drone incident in his speech, instead devoting much of his short address to “fighters and commanders” in Ukraine.
The Russian leader has consistently told his citizens that the military intends to seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian by force if talks fail.
Addressing soldiers, whom he called “heroes”, Putin said in his address: “We believe in you and our victory.”
Russia – which now occupies around a fifth of Ukraine – has hit its smaller neighbour with an almost daily barrage of missiles and drones that have killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians and displaced millions.
In Vyshgorod, a town outside Kyiv, residents left without power for several days because of Russian bombing told AFP the strikes had made their lives “hell”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a New Year speech. Photo / Getty Images
Russia doubles down on Putin home claim
US-led diplomacy to end the war has gained pace in recent weeks, with Zelenskyy expected to attend a January 6 summit in France with allies, after holding talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida.
But Russia has shown no sign of dropping its maximalist demands in Ukraine.
The European Union accused Moscow of trying to “derail” negotiations with its claim this week that Kyiv tried to attack Putin’s residence in northwest Russia.
The Kremlin accused Ukraine of launching dozens of drones at Putin’s lakeside residence in the Novgorod region – between Moscow and Saint Petersburg – on the night of December 28.
Moscow published footage of a drone it said Kyiv had sent toward the residence.
Russia has called it a “terrorist attack” and a “personal attack” against Putin, saying it will toughen its negotiation stance in Ukraine war talks.
The video, shot at night, showed a damaged drone lying in the snow in a forested area. The defence ministry said the alleged attack was “targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages”.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which documents the Ukraine-Russia conflict, said it had not seen any “footage or reporting that typically follows Ukrainian deep strikes to corroborate the Kremlin’s claims of Ukrainian strikes threatening Putin’s residence in Novgorod Oblast”.
Putin has not publicly commented on the attack – aside from the Kremlin saying he had informed Trump about it in a call – and Moscow has not said where the Russian leader was at the time.
