Air Raid Sirens Wail Across Ukraine In First Moments Of 2023 As Fresh Blasts Heard In Kyiv | News

The sirens rang out minutes after the end of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's New Year address, in which he praised those who had fought for their country since the invasion on 24 February.

Blasts have been heard in Kyiv and air raid sirens wailed across the country just after midnight, forcing Ukrainians to abandon New Year celebrations and head to bomb shelters.

The latest apparent Russian salvo followed blasts on New Year's Eve in multiple regions of Ukraine, with one person killed and 20 reported injured in the capital alone.

As the sirens blared in Kyiv in the early minutes of 2023, some people on their balconies shouted "Glory to Ukraine. Glory to heroes."

City mayor Vitali Klitschko said that explosions had been heard and that air defense was working.

He shared a picture on Telegram apparently showing where a fragment of a rocket had hit a car in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv.

The air raid sirens sounded minutes after the end of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's New Year address in which he praised those who had fought for their country since the invasion on February 24.

He told citizens: "I want to wish all of us one thing - victory.

"And that's the main thing. One wish for all Ukrainians."

There were reports on social media of people being moved to tears by the speech.

In an address of his own, Vladimir Putin said 2022 was a year of "difficult but necessary decisions" and "important steps towards Russia's full sovereignty and a powerful consolidation of our society".

'Strong possibility' Ukraine retakes all territory by end of 2023 - apart from Crimea

The Russian president echoed previous claims about the West encouraging neo-Nazis in Ukraine who carried out "military and overtly terrorist action against peaceful civilians in the people's republics of Donbas".

He added that "the West lied about peace, but was preparing for aggression".