President Vladimir Putin said during his New Year’s address that Russia believes it will prevail in Ukraine while it is embroiled in a nearly four-year conflict.
“We believe in you and our victory,” Putin told the Russian soldiers, whom he called “heroes.”
The speech coincided with the 26th anniversary of Putin’s rise to power.
Human loss in the Russian-Ukrainian war
The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war has caused a serious human cost, with military casualties on both sides estimated to be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.
Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukraine and conducts almost daily missile and drone attacks that have killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
In Vyshhorod, a town near Kiev, residents who were left without power for several days due to Russian strikes described living conditions as “hell”, AFP reported.
Drone attack on Putin’s residence
Earlier this week, Russia claimed that Ukrainian drones targeted one of Putin’s residences in the Novgorod region between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moscow released a video of the drone lying damaged in the snow and described the incident as a “terrorist attack” that was “targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages”.
Kiev denied the claim, calling it a “fabrication” designed to manipulate the peace process.
The Kremlin said Putin informed US President Donald Trump by phone about the incident, but the Russian president has not commented publicly on the alleged attack.
Peace negotiations and diplomatic tensions
The alleged drone strike comes at a time of intensified US-led diplomacy aimed at ending Europe’s worst conflict since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend a summit in France on January 6 after meeting with Trump in Florida.
Despite these efforts, Russia has repeatedly signaled that if negotiations fail, it will occupy the rest of the Ukrainian territory it claims.
The European Union criticized Moscow’s claims of a residential attack, accusing it of trying to “derail” peace talks.
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine
Russian strikes targeted energy and civilian infrastructure, forcing Ukrainians to endure several days of power outages in freezing temperatures.
As the conflict continues, Moscow has stepped up its military rhetoric, saying negotiations will only succeed if Ukraine meets Russia’s maximalist demands.
(With AFP inputs)
