Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that his country believed it would win in Ukraine, where Moscow has led an almost four-year offensive.
Putin’s traditional New Year’s Eve speech was first aired in the far-eastern Kamchatka peninsula, the first Russian region to enter 2026.
He called on Russians to “support our heroes” fighting in Ukraine, saying: “We believe in you and our victory.”
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He wished a happy New Year to “fighters and commanders” in Ukraine and said: “Millions of people across Russia, trust me, are thinking of you.”
Meanwhile, Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said on Wednesday.
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The conflict in Ukraine has had a huge human cost, with military deaths on both sides believed to be in the tens, or even hundreds, of thousands.