Ukraine and Russia trade strikes on New Year’s night
Shafaq News– Kyiv/ Moscow
Russia reported more than 20 deaths from a drone strike on New Year’s night, while Ukraine recorded tens of combat engagements, according to official statements from both countries.
In its operational briefing on Thursday, Ukraine’s General Staff said yesterday's fighting amounted to 120 combat clashes, with Russian forces carrying out airstrikes, launching kamikaze drones, and shelling Ukrainian positions across several frontlines.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 168 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, including areas near Moscow and Crimea. Russian authorities also reported that Ukrainian drones struck a cafe and hotel in the Kherson Region, killing 24 people and injuring more than 50.
“Many people were burned alive. A child was killed. The crime can be compared to what happened at Odessa’s Trade Union House,” Governor Vladimir Saldo wrote on Telegram, referring to a May 2, 2014 fire in which Russia says 48 people died.
Citing Defense Ministry data, Russian state media said more than 510,000 Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded in 2025, noting that Ukraine’s total casualties since the start of the war exceeded 1.5 million.
Ukraine, for its part, updated its own cumulative estimates of Russian losses since February 2022, putting personnel losses at around 1.21 million, alongside thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, and more than 98,000 operational-tactical drones destroyed.
In a New Year address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy affirmed that a peace agreement to end the war was “90% ready,” adding that the remaining 10% would "determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe.”
Happy New Year, Ukraine!🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/WkAFpSHb9p
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 31, 2025
