Putin says 'we will never back down' in New Year's Eve address

President Vladimir Putinsaid Russia would "never back down" as he addressed Russian citizens with his traditional New Year's speech from the Kremlin. Residents of Kamchatka and Chukotka,where the New Year arrives early as the time difference with Moscow is plus 9 hours, were the first to see Putin make the address.

The Russian president praised his country's military personnel without explicitly mentioning the conflict in Ukraine.This is different from last year when the Kremlin chief was flanked by soldiers in uniform.

Putin described 2024 as the "year of the family" in front of the traditional backdrop of the Kremlin.

"We have repeatedly proved that we can solve the most difficult tasks and will never back down because there is no force that can separate us," Putin said in the address, aired on state TV.

"To all those who are on duty, on the front line of the fight for truth and justice. You are our heroes. Our hearts are with you. We are proud of you, we admire your courage," he added.

The televised New Year's Eve speech has become a holiday ritual in Russia, with millions of people tuning in. It became a tradition, which Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev started.

It is broadcast immediately before midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones and normally includes a recap of the previous year's events as well as wishes for the coming year.

Watch:Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow says attack will not go unpunished

Russia-Ukraine war

Meanwhile, on the war front, Ukraine claimed on Sunday that it had destroyed 21 of 49 Iranian-made drones. The reported drones were fired after Russia vowed to retaliate for what it called a "terrorist attack" on a border city that left 24 dead.

The Ukrainian air force said that the "Shahed" drones were particularly targeted at "the front line of defence, as well as at civilian, military and infrastructure facilities in the front-line territories".

Six guided missiles had also targeted the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Kyiv said in a statement on Telegram, without specifying whether they had hit their targets.

Oleg Sinegubov, the head of Kharkiv's military administration, said there had been 28 civilians wounded in the attack on the city, including two teenagers and a foreign citizen.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

(With inputs from agencies)