Kyiv, Jan 02: Residents of Kyiv woke up to air raid sirens on Monday after an "air attack" on the city. An alert was in effect following the attack that came after a New Year assault by Russia that saw Kyiv and other cities under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones.

 

 

 

"Air attack on Kyiv... Air alert is on in the capital," Kyiv's military administration said while appealing to people to remain in shelters.

 

 

 

Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in Kyiv's northeastern Desnyanskyi district and said "emergency services are on their way". "Danger persists in Kyiv region! Our air defence forces are working on the targets," Oleksii Kuleba, the head of Kyiv region's military administration, was quoted as saying by AFP. Meanwhile, Ukraine's forces have shelled the city of Makiivka and other places in the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, with Reuters reporting multiple deaths in an attack on military quarters. The Moscow-installed administration of the Donetsk region in Ukraine said on Sunday that at least 25 rockets were fired at the region overnight on New Year's Eve. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted a victory for the war-torn nation in 2023, while his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin used his New Year address to rally citizens behind the military on the frontlines of the "special military operation".

 

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"The West lied about peace. It was preparing for aggression and now they are cynically using Ukraine and its people to weaken and split Russia. We have never allowed this, and never will allow anybody to do this to us," Vladimir Putin said, adding, "We will triumph, for our families and for Russia."