vDmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's spokesman, probably once told the truth in this case: “No, that's not true,” he dismissed rumors that the Russian president had recorded a new version of his New Year's address after the Russian city of Belgorod on Saturday was hit by the worst Ukrainian attacks since the start of the war.
Several Telegram channels and Internet portals had announced that Vladimir Putin would address the rocket attacks in the city, fifty kilometers from the Ukrainian border, in which, according to local authorities, 24 people were killed and more than a hundred injured. It was by far Ukraine's heaviest and most consequential attack to date on targets in Russia.
Belgorod was not mentioned in Putin's New Year's speech. He only addressed the entire war against Ukraine indirectly: neither the name of the invaded country nor the official name for the campaign – “special military operation” – were mentioned in his speech. It wasn't until the middle of the four-minute speech that the only words that made it clear that Russia was at war came: “I would like to address our soldiers today – to everyone in combat, on the front lines in the fight for truth and justice: you are our heroes.” Apart from this sentence, there were only general descriptions of what was happening: The Russians had “a deep understanding of the utmost importance of the historical stage that Russia is currently going through,” said Putin.
Moscow demanded a meeting of the UN Security Council
Even in the Kremlin-controlled media, the attack on Belgorod quickly disappeared from the headlines. Many cities therefore canceled all public New Year's celebrations, but only a few from the first and second ranks of Russian politics commented. Moscow's clearest political response was a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York on New Year's Eve that it called for, at which Russia's ambassador blamed the United States, the European Union and Britain for the “terrorist attack.” Comments from parliamentarians and state media said that Ukraine wanted to use the attack to provoke Russia into attacking civilian targets and sowing hatred.
Russian propaganda claims that only military targets are being attacked in Ukraine. This is not true; The Russian military has regularly attacked civilian targets such as homes, hospitals, shopping centers, power plants and even churches since the raid began. It was only on Friday night that cities across Ukraine were hit in one of the largest waves of attacks to date; According to official information, at least 39 people were killed.
The Ukrainian leadership has not officially commented on the rocket attack on Belgorod, as is the rule with all attacks on targets in Russia. However, according to the BBC's Russian-language service, sources in the Ukrainian intelligence services have described the shelling of Belgorod as a response to attacks on Ukrainian cities last week. The civilian casualties in Belgorod were solely the fault of the “incompetent work of the Russian air defense”; they only attacked military infrastructure, the BBC quoted.
Hotel in Kharkiv met with ZDF team
Russia, in turn, shelled targets in Ukraine over the weekend, especially in the Kharkiv area in the northeast, but also in Odessa in the south and Lviv in the west. One of the things hit in Kharkiv was a hotel in the center of the city that is often used by journalists. Two employees of a ZDF television team were injured, as the broadcaster in Mainz announced. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the hotel was targeted because “foreign mercenaries” and Ukrainian intelligence officers who were involved in the attack on Belgorod were staying there.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also did not directly address the recent events in his New Year's address. In his speech, he invoked the strength and will to fight of the Ukrainians, which is evident on the front as well as in maintaining the infrastructure and the economy. “Unfortunately, the war divided families, took away sons and daughters, and at the same time united us into one big family. It is the time to be together!” Ukraine and its people have become stronger in the “fight for our own country, for our freedom and for each other”. They are also “stronger than blockades and vetoes, disbelief and skepticism,” said the president, alluding to the declining willingness to help Ukraine from some of its foreign partners. Kiev has achieved a “historic victory” with the start of EU accession negotiations, which will soon lead to “full membership in a strong Europe, from Lisbon to Luhansk”.
Zelensky thanked all citizens “who worked or fought or donated.” In the fight against the Russian state, “the largest terrorist organization in the world,” the soldiers “did not give up a kilometer of our freedom.” At the same time, the president called for people to continue fighting: “Victory is not given – it is fought for.” He thanked Ukraine’s supporters. Domestic weapons production will play a major role in the new year, and “at least one million FPV” (first person view drones with improved control via the camera) should be produced.
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