Russia’s war on Ukraine latest: Russia says 63 servicemen killed in Makiivka

(Reuters) – Russia acknowledged that scores of its troops were killed in one of the Ukraine war’s deadliest strikes, drawing demands from nationalist bloggers for commanders to be punished for housing soldiers alongside an ammunition dump.

Ukraine said it had shot down all Russian drones fired in a third straight night of air strikes.

Fighting

* Russia said 63 Russian soldiers had been killed in a Ukrainian New Year’s Eve attack on their quarters in the town of Makiivka, triggering furious criticism of the military leadership from lawmakers and pro-war bloggers.

* Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 22 air objects above Kyiv early on Monday, its military administration said.

* The strikes knocked out some power and heating, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Earlier, one person was wounded by debris from a destroyed drone.

* The regional military command in Ukraine’s east said air defence systems destroyed nine Iranian-made drones over the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

* A Ukrainian drone attack damaged an electricity facility in the southwest of Russia’s Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, cutting power for several hours, the regional governor said.

* Russia is planning a protracted campaign of attacks with Iranian drones to “exhaust” Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Putin address

* Russian President Vladimir Putin devoted his annual New Year’s address to rallying the Russian people behind his troops fighting in Ukraine and pledging victory over Ukrainian “neo-Nazis” and a West supposedly intent on “destroying Russia”.

* Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said victory for Russia over Ukraine was “inevitable” as he hailed Russian soldiers’ heroism in a New Year’s video message.

Zelenskiy address

* Zelenskiy said in a New Year message that his only wish for all Ukrainians for 2023 was victory and he resolved to stay the course while the country fights for it. “We fight and will continue to fight. For the sake of the key word: ‘victory’.” 

Diplomacy

* Zelenskiy said Ukraine awaiting 2023’s first tranche of European Union (EU) macrofinancial aid in January, after speaking to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Quote

* “It is a huge tragedy. It is a huge tragedy that cannot ever be forgiven. That is why the New Year is sad.” -Ukrainian soldier Pavlo Pryzhehodskiy, 27, who had lost 12 of his comrades in a single night of fighting.

(Compiled by Michael Perry, Alexandra Hudson and Mark Heinrich)