KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia marked the first day of 2025 with a massive aerial assault on Ukraine, launching 111 attack drones at 10 regions and killing at least one person in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Monday.
Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 63 drones, while another 46 failed to reach their targets. In Kyiv, the attacks injured at least six people, including a pregnant woman, and damaged residential buildings in the central Pecherskyi district.
“In war, there are no holidays, and for Russia, nothing is sacred or inviolable,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “It spares no no one, killing people even amidst New Year celebrations, starting a deadly countdown from the very first day. The world must not allow tyranny and dictatorship to go unpunished or endorsed in the new year.”
Air raid sirens blared before sunrise in Kyiv as authorities urged residents to seek shelter. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported multiple impacts across the capital, including broken windows, a garage fire, and damaged trams in the western Sviatoshynskyi neighborhood.
“Two of them were hospitalized. Two were treated on the spot by doctors,” Klitschko said of the injured in the Pecherskyi district, where the strike ignited a fire in an apartment building.
“These inhumans decided to give us a hot start to the year and, like real weaklings and cowards, continued to hit civilians,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, chair of Ukraine’s parliament.
U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink condemned the attacks on social media: “As the world marks the first day of the New Year, Russia launched 111 drones at the people of Ukraine. We are thankful for the air defenders and first responders whose tireless heroism protects us all.”
The attacks were repelled using various Ukrainian air defense systems, including aviation, anti-aircraft missiles, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups, according to military officials.
The New Year’s assault represents one of the largest drone attacks since the war began, demonstrating Russia’s continued strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure during significant holidays.
