Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with a fresh round of missile strikes in the last hours of 2022 – with one bearing a chilling “Happy New Year” message apparently scrawled on it by a Russian soldier. In total, 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones were downed overnight, although Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said nobody had been killed, unlike the previous night’s raids, which resulted in the death of at least one person.
A picture of the Iranian drone was shared by Andriy Nebytov, chief of Kyiv’s police, via the Telegram messaging app.
He commented: “The fragments of the martyr are part of the nightly greeting from the “brotherly people” with a happy New Year!”
Using a nickname for Russian troops, he added: “You can say cheap and tasteless! Real orc-style.”
Mr Nebytov stressed: “And these wreckages are not at the front, where fierce battles are taking place, they are here, on the sports ground, where children play.
“This is all you need to know about the terrorist state and its army.
“We thank the air defence units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the excellent result.
“Without your professional work, the morning would not be good.
“I ask all citizens not to ignore the air alarm signal and always take shelter.”
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Nevertheless, for several hours leading up to it, hundreds packed the streets, unfurling Ukrainian flags and taking selfies in front of a big Christmas tree in Sofia Square lit up in blue and yellow.
US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink tweeted: ‘Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the new year.
“But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron.”
