Witnesses say they have heard of a dozen explosions in Kiev. Mayor Vitalij Klitschko confirms that there have been explosions.
– One of the explosions occurred between residential buildings in the Solomjansky district. Emergency services are arriving at the scene, Klitschko says according to Euromaidan Press Chirping.
According to Independent Kyiv Klitschko says at least one person has been killed in the neighborhood. Several are injured, Klitschko says. A hotel in the city center is also said to have been hit in the bombings.
Power failure
Damage to residential buildings was reported in several districts of Kiev.
– Terrorist country has sent a new wave of rockets. They wish us a Happy New Year, but we will persevere, says Kyiv governor Oleksij Kuleba.
At the same time, power was cut in several Ukrainian regions after the attacks.
Independent Kyiv reports that the flight alarm is sounding in all regions except the occupied Luhansk and Crimea regions. In several regions, electricity went out after the attacks.
Warns of attacks
According to reports on Twitter, there were at least three waves of rocket attacks on New Year’s Eve.
– Russian “gifts” are now flying over the Kiev region. We are not afraid of it, writes Ukraine Front Lines Chirping.
A warning against Russian missile attacks has been issued in connection with New Year celebrations. The British Ministry of Defense warned against this in its daily intelligence update on Saturday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked all Ukrainians this Christmas to be aware of the danger of an attack and to listen to flak sirens.
Waves of attack
– Since October, Russia has maintained a pattern of intensive attacks every seven to ten days, writes the British Ministry of Defense in its intelligence update New Year’s Eve.
Experts have stressed that Russia carries out such waves of attacks to target the civilian population. They attack with many missiles simultaneously to overload Ukraine’s air defenses, according to experts. The British write the same.
– But there is a realistic possibility that Russia will break this pattern and attack again in the coming days to undermine the morale of Ukrainians during the New Year celebrations, write the British.
