Ukraine Mourns as Deadly Start to 2024 Rocks Kyiv
The start of 2024 brings grief to Kyiv as Russia's deadly attacks persist, forcing the city to declare an official day of mourning The death toll rises, with fresh assaults launched overnight, intensifying Ukraine's tragic ordeal
The capital of Ukraine has officially declared the first day of 2024 as a day of mourning as the death toll continued to rise from the massive attacks by Russia on Friday. Fresh assaults were also launched overnight, adding to the tragedy. The city military administration reported on Monday that at least 27 people were killed and 30 injured in Kyiv, with more bodies recovered from the rubble as search and rescue operations continued.
The Ukrainian military informed CNN that it was the most significant air assault on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, involving an unprecedented number of drones and missiles targeting locations throughout the country.
The attacks on Friday resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people across Ukraine, with explosions reported in Kyiv, a maternity hospital in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Lviv, despite being far from the frontlines.
Ukrainians across the country on Sunday and into Monday saw in the new year to the sound of air alerts and fresh Russian attacks.
Firefighters work at a site of a commercial building damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine December 31, 2023.
Yevhen Titov/Reuters
Russia retaliates against Ukraine following 24 deaths in a border city.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command reported on Monday that Russia had conducted a staggering 90 drone attacks on New Year's Eve. The Shahed drones were launched in waves from Russia's Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Crimea, leading to air alerts in multiple regions of Ukraine along the drones' route.
"Last New Year's Eve, the sky defenders took down 45 Shaheds. Now, they have destroyed 87," stated Mykola Oleshchuk, the Ukraine Air Force Commander in a Telegram post.
In the early hours of the new year on Monday, Russian shelling resulted in the death of at least five people and left 22 others wounded.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the southern city of Odesa was subjected to an aerial attack by unmanned aerial vehicles launched from the Black Sea, resulting in the destruction of residential buildings. According to Oleh Kiper, at least one person was killed and nine others were injured in the assault.
Meanwhile, the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, which was illegally annexed by Russia, was also targeted by at least 15 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) at midnight, as reported by Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia administration.
Four people were killed and 13 were wounded in the shelling, as reported by Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic installed by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rallied the country in his New Years Eve speech on Sunday, declaring "we defeated the darkness" as the war approaches its two-year mark.
"Ukraine and its people have grown stronger. In the early months of 2023, we faced the most challenging winter in history and we emerged victorious. We did not succumb to the darkness, but instead, we overcame it," Zelensky stated. Despite the challenges, he urged the Ukrainian people to continue to persevere.
The war tragically tore families apart, taking sons and daughters, but also brought us together as one large family. We hold onto the hope for Ukraine's return, knowing that our expectations are not in vain. We want to express our gratitude to you for this, and remind you that without each and every one of you, Ukraine will be incomplete.
