In the first moments of the new year, dozens of Ukrainians recorded themselves singing the national anthem, as a swarm of exploding drones buzzed over the capital in an attack that followed a missile barrage earlier that evening. At least one person was killed, and more than 20 were wounded, the Times reports.
The momentary good cheer masked some hard realities for a country under assault. Ten months into the war, Ukraine has turned the tide in ground combat in the southeast but also can do little to stop Russia from launching relentless missile strikes.
Ukraine has been developing long-range drones to strike back, and Russian airfields suffered drone attacks twice in December. But these are pinpricks compared with Moscow’s massive waves of strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Military analysts say these attacks are intended to cut electricity and heat and to demoralize the population.
Volodymyr Zelensky In a New Year’s Eve address to the nation, the Ukrainian leader sought to rally citizens. “This year began on Feb. 24,” he said, the date Russia invaded Ukraine. “It can still be dark, loud and complicated for us. But we will definitely never be afraid again.” The year, he said, was “our year. The year of Ukraine. The year of Ukrainians.”
On one of the last nights of the Russian occupation of Bucha in March, a lone Russian soldier left a trail of blood and devastated lives in a last paroxysm of violence. Nine months after those events, the grief of family members remains raw.
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