Day 677 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia Attacked Odesa and Lviv on New Year's Eve, Kyiv Hit Donetsk

Day 677 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Russia attacked Odesa and Lviv on New Year's Eve, Kyiv hit Donetsk
• Zelensky and Putin sent different messages for the New Year
• Putin: We will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine
• Moscow is leading the BRICS in an effort to overcome isolation
• The Russian ruble is among the ten most depreciated currencies of 2023

Russia attacked Odesa and Lviv on New Year's Eve, Kyiv hit Donetsk

One person was killed and eight were injured on New Year's Eve in Odesa in a Russian drone attack, BTA reported on Monday.

The attack, which came from the sea, caused fires in two multi-story residential buildings at 1 a.m.

The Ukrainian military, quoted by Reuters, said the attack targeted port infrastructure and that a fire broke out in one of the port terminals.

"The enemy's clear priority remains the port infrastructure of Odesa. A large number of drones were directed from the sea to the coastal zone," Ukraine's Southern Military Command said.

According to preliminary information from the Odesa channels on "Telegram", 5 civilian objects were hit.

In total, 90 Russian drones were launched during the night, 87 of which the Ukrainian army managed to shoot down.

There was also an air strike against the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. "Reuters," writes that the Ukrainian air defense repels the attacks, citing the head of the Lviv regional military administration Maxim Kozytsky.

According to the mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi, explosions broke out around the city, and fires broke out at the places of the incidents. No further details are given.

Moscow reports that the Ukrainian army has shelled the city of Donetsk, which it occupies in eastern Ukraine. According to Russian-appointed local authorities, four people were killed and 13 injured.

On December 29, Russia launched almost 160 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities in the most massive air attack since the start of the war. 31 people died and over 130 were injured. The airstrikes continued in the following days.

Kyiv launched an airstrike on the Russian border town of Belgorod on December 30, killing 10 civilians and injuring 40.

Zelensky and Putin sent different messages for the New Year

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky honored his people's resilience in times of bloodshed in a long and lyrical New Year's speech, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin emphasized his country's unity in a short and stark message that made only passing mention of the war.

The speeches - traditional messages on December 31 in both Russia and Ukraine - coincided with an increase in airstrikes at the end of the year, but neither side managed to distinguish itself on the front in 2023, according to Reuters.

"The main result of the year, its main achievement: Ukraine has become stronger," Zelensky said in a televised address, illustrated with footage of cities under attack and meetings with leaders of Ukraine's Western allies.

Mentioning "war" 14 times in his 20-minute message, Zelensky also vowed, as he did a year ago, that a free Ukraine would prevail.

"No matter how many rockets the enemy launches, no matter how many shellings and attacks - vile, merciless, massive, the enemy commits in an attempt to break the Ukrainians, to intimidate, to overthrow Ukraine, to drive it into illegality, we will still stand up," he said while wearing his trademark khaki outfit.

The comments by Putin, who is running for president in March, were a contrast to those of Zelensky and also to his own speech last year, when he portrayed the war as an almost existential battle.

This year, he called Russian soldiers "our heroes" but did not mention Ukraine by name, nor the "special military operation," as the Kremlin calls the war.

"We have proven more than once that we can solve the most difficult problems and we will never back down because there is no force that can separate us. We are one country, one big family," Putin said in a four-minute speech, wearing a suit and a red tie against the background of the Kremlin walls.

Neither Putin nor Zelensky mentioned the 1,000 km front line, where Kyiv's counteroffensive has had little success and where Moscow continues its latest but slow offensive on its eastern flank, aimed at increasing the Ukrainian territory it controls.

And while Zelensky spoke of some 6,000 airstrikes in Ukraine over the past year, Putin made no mention of any attacks — not even one that Russia says Ukraine carried out against Belgorod on December 30, which left 24 Russian civilians dead.

Both spoke of the strength of their countries and their people, with Putin saying that future joint efforts will make Russia and its people stronger, and Zelensky that the war has already shown the strength of Ukrainians.

"And as last December 31, so today we say: We do not know for sure what the new year will bring us. But this year we can add: No matter what it brings us, we will be stronger," assured Zelensky, quoted by Reuters.

Putin: We will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would step up strikes on military targets in Ukraine after the weekend's unprecedented attack on the Russian city of Belgorod.

"We're going to step up the punches. No crime against civilians will go unpunished, that's for sure," the Russian head of state said during a visit to a military hospital. Putin emphasized that the attacks will be directed at military facilities.

On December 29, massive Russian shelling killed at least 39 Ukrainian civilians in one of the deadliest attacks since the start of the war. Ukraine retaliated by striking Belgorod, where about 24 people were killed, according to Russian officials.

Moscow is leading the BRICS in an effort to overcome isolation

Russia is taking over the one-year rotating presidency of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) intergovernmental organization, doubling its membership from January 1, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Monday.

Last year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were invited to the group. Argentina was also supposed to join, but after the victory of Javier Milei in the presidential election, Buenos Aires announced that it would not accept the invitation. Miley said that he considers the US and Israel to be strategic partners.

Under the Russian presidency, BRICS will focus on increasing the role of its members in the international monetary and financial system and on payments in national currencies, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.

Moscow will bet on coordinating positions with other members of the organization when participating in key international platforms to strengthen its voice.

In December, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the creation of a BRICS unit of account would help Moscow deal with the problem of incomplete convertibility of its currency. It strengthened after Russia became subject to Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine and had to switch to paying in rubles under international treaties.

In an address published on the Kremlin's website, Russian President Vladimir Putin said about 30 countries were "to one degree or another" ready to join BRICS and that Russia would use its chairmanship to work out a partnership status through which to include them in the organization.

The Russian ruble is among the ten most depreciated currencies of 2023

The Russian ruble is among the ten world currencies that have lost the most of their value in the past 2023.

The year was marked by numerous crises and factors of uncertainty, which also affected the currency markets. Among the unfavorable factors were geopolitical tensions, the war that broke out in the Middle East, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, high interest rates, persistent inflation, uncertainty in the markets.

The German-specialized publication "Finanzen" highlights the currencies that lost the most of their value.

In tenth place is the Russian ruble, which has lost 19.12% of its value against the US dollar.

Ninth remains the Zambian kwacha, which has declined 25.45%.

In eighth position is the Turkish lira with losses of 35.85%.

Seventh is the currency of Malawi - the kwacha, with a decrease of 39.8%.

Sixth is the Angolan kwanza, which has depreciated by 40%, and right in front of it is the Nigerian naira, which has depreciated by 40.91%.

Fourth is the Venezuelan bolivar, which has lost half of its value (50.64%) against the dollar due to high inflation in the country, continuing the trend seen in recent years.

The third place is for the Argentine peso, which lost a total of 52.63% for the year.

In second place is the Syrian lira, which has depreciated by 75%.

The leader in this anti-classification, with the largest devaluation worldwide, is the Lebanese lira, which, against the background of the severe economic crisis in the Middle Eastern country, has collapsed by as much as 89.85%.

Novinite remains the sole Bulgarian media outlet consistently delivering daily updates and key insights concerning the conflict. Our reporting commenced on the first day, 24th February 2022, and will persist until the conflict's resolution. Despite challenges, our independent journalism remains committed to offering precise, current news to our audience. We appreciate your ongoing support in staying informed! #stayinformed #WarInUkraine

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