The Kyiv City Administration confirmed a series of Russian missile strikes hit the Ukrainian capital overnight on 2 January. Air defences were active in the capital, reported The Kyiv Independent.
Twelve aerial blasts targeted Kyiv on the night of the 2nd January, with the city's air raid alert remaining active.
The recent explosions follow Russian air strikes that struck the capital on New Year's Day and the 31st of December.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko tweeted there had been several strikes in the capital, with at least one person killed and 20 people injured. Two schools and a kindergarten were damaged following Russian attacks.
Attacks to undermine morale
Russia has followed a pattern of launching long-range missiles against Ukraine's power infrastructure to "undermine the morale of the Ukrainian population over the new year holiday period," warned the British Ministry of Defence.
The explosions come after Russian President Vladimir Putin's New Year's speech in which he tried to rally his country to his cause and justify the war, saying Russia's continued existence was at stake. according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
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His aggressive rhetoric indicated that he is unlikely to engage in peace talks in 2023, according to ISW. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy responded with defiance in his nightly address on 1 January.
"They are afraid. You can feel it. And they are right to be afraid. Because they are losing. Drones, missiles, anything else will not help them. Because we are together. And they are together only with fear."
