January 2, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his first address of the year to underline the "sense of unity" in the country, and contrast it with the "fear" he said is felt in Russia.

"Our sense of unity, authenticity, life itself – all this contrasts dramatically with the fear that prevails in Russia," said Zelensky in an address published Sunday evening local time.

Zelensky congratulated Ukrainian forces for shooting down 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia on the first night of the year

"Russian terrorists were pathetic, and they entered this year staying the same. Our defenders were awesome, and on January 1 they showed themselves very well," he said.

Zelensky went on to thank "everyone who is fighting the enemy at the frontline every day and every night," as well as energy and utility workers restoring infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.

"And it is very important how all Ukrainians recharged their inner energy this New Year's Eve," said Zelensky.

"And how we thanked our warriors. How we thanked our loved ones. How millions of times all over Ukraine, all over the free world, our wish – the wish of victory – has sounded and still sounds."

A 46-year-old man who was injured by a Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital on Saturday has died in hospital, according to city mayor Vitaly Klitschko.

“One of the injured as a result of the Russian attack on the capital on December 31 died this morning,” Klitschko said on his official Telegram channel. “The 46-year-old man was in intensive care in serious condition.”

Another person died and 20 others were injured in Saturday's explosions, Klitschko said.

Out of the injured, 14 were hospitalized, while six others were provided with medical assistance on the spot, he said.

Several school buildings in the capital suffered severe damage from the explosions, the mayor added.

Ukraine's capital Kyiv was experiencing power outages Monday, after overnight strikes damaged energy infrastructure facilities in the city, its mayor said.

Vitaly Klitschko said some heat supply facilities were disconnected from the power supply, but the city’s water supply remains normal.

Russian strikes in recent weeks targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine have left much of the country without access to heat and power, amid a harsh winter season. Crews worked for days ahead of New Year's Eve to repair systems and fortify the grid, but Ukrainian officials said Saturday that Moscow's attacks aim to plunge cities into darkness on the holiday.

Klitschko previously said 30% of the capital was left without power on New Year's Eve due to emergency shutdowns.

Meanwhile, locals in Kyiv expressed a resolve to celebrate the new year, telling CNN they hope that 2023 could bring peace, as Russia's invasion grinds on.

Ukrainian forces on Sunday struck a vocational school in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, where mobilized military personnel were stationed, a senior Russian-backed leader said.

Donetsk has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and it is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow attempted to annex in October, in violation of international law.

The news comes after the Ukrainian military said 760 Russian soldiers were killed Saturday, but did not specify where.

Russian forces "lost 760 people killed just yesterday, (and) continue to attempt offensive actions on Bakhmut," the military's general staff said Sunday.

Some context: Russian units have been pressing an offensive towards the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk for months but have suffered heavy losses as Ukrainian forces have targeted them in what is largely open rural territory.

Russian strikes killed at least six people in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he thinks Ukraine's air defense can become "the most powerful in Europe" and help uphold security for his country and Europe. 

“Ukrainian air defense can become the most powerful in Europe, and this will be a guarantee of security not only for our country, but also for the entire continent,” Zelensky said in his nightly address Friday. 

Latest round of attacks: Ukrainian officials again praised the efforts of their air defense crews when a new round of Russian strikes pounded several regions Saturday.

The country's military said it was able to knock away 12 of the more than 20 missiles launched at Ukraine.

“Air Defense Forces are heroes and a real shield of our sky. We thank them!” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a post on Telegram.

Russia’s currency hit an eight-month low Thursday, adding to sharp declines in December as global oil prices fell, and Western sanctions targeted Russia’s energy sector.

The ruble hovered below 72 to the dollar, down 18% from the start of the month, and its weakest level since late April.

After almost halving in value in the first weeks of the war, the ruble has held up remarkably well for most of the year, trading within a narrow range.

The ruble has been helped by measures from Russia’s central bank, which more than doubled interest rates at the start of the war, introduced capital controls, and forced exporters to convert 80% of their earnings into rubles, artificially creating demand for the currency. It later rolled back some of those policies as the exchange rate stabilized.

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A remote Russian republic is offering to pay the tuition fees of students whose parents are enlisted in the military, according to the region's education minister.

Aybulat Khazhin, education minister of Bashkortostan, said on Telegram that students whose parents have been drafted to serve in the Russian army will receive coverage for their college tuition, dormitory expenses and additional financial support.

Some context: In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an immediate "partial mobilization" in a bid to reinforce his faltering invasion of Ukraine. The controversial move sparked protests and an exodus of young men from Russia who were at risk of punishment if they refused to be drafted.

Russian officials ended the draft in November and claimed that its target of recruiting 300,000 personnel had been completed.

In opening remarks during a video conference Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to visit Moscow next spring. He added that the two countries would strengthen cooperation between their armed forces, and pointed to growth in trade despite “unfavorable market conditions.”

Bilateral relations are “the best in history, and withstand all tests,” he said. “We share the same views on the causes, course and logic of the ongoing transformation of the global geopolitical landscape.”

Xi also delivered opening remarks, saying “against the background of a difficult international situation, China is ready to increase political cooperation with Russia” and to be “global partners,” according to the Russian state media translation of the broadcast.

Moscow and Beijing have drawn closer in recent years, with Xi and Putin declaring the two countries had a “no limits” partnership weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

China has since refused to condemn the aggression, instead repeatedly laying blame for the conflict on NATO and the United States – and remaining one of Russia’s key remaining supporters as it grows increasingly isolated on the global stage.

But more than 10 months into the grinding war, the world looks much different – and the dynamic between both partners has shifted accordingly, experts say.

Instead of an anticipated swift victory, Putin’s invasion has faltered with numerous setbacks on the battlefield, including a lack of basic equipment. Morale within parts of Russia is low, with many civilians facing economic hardship during the bitter winter.

On Thursday, Russia launched what Ukrainian officials described as one of the biggest missile barrages since the war began in February, with explosions rattling villages and cities across Ukraine, damaging civilian infrastructure and killing at least three people.

Ukrainian officials have been cautioning for days that Russia is preparing to launch an all-out assault on the power grid to close out 2022, plummeting the country into darkness as Ukrainians attempt to ring in the New Year and celebrate the Christmas holidays, which for the country’s Orthodox Christians falls on January 7.

“China is eager for (the war) to end,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center.

“Xi will try to emphasize the importance of peace to Putin,” she added. “As Russia is getting impatient with the lack of progress on the battlefield, the timing is ripening for peace talk in China’s eyes.”

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