Vladimir Putin warned that Russia “would never back down” in a chilling New Year’s Eve address following deadly air strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Although he didn’t directly mention the Ukraine conflict, he praised his country’s military personnel, saying: “We have repeatedly proved that we can solve the most difficult tasks and will never retreat, because there is no force that can separate us.”
The comments follow fresh attacks by Putin’s forces on New Year’s Eve, in response to what Russia called a “terrorist attack” on the city of Belgorod.
Moscow blamed Ukraine for the attacks that Russian officials said killed 24 people, including three children while wounding 108.
Local authorities in Ukraine said that Iranian-made Shahed drones targeted Kharkiv overnight, focusing on civilian areas along their shared border.
READ MORE: Moment Ukrainian bomb devastates Russian city as Putin launches revenge strikes
