Putin wishes Russians victory in Ukraine in New Year speech

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin urged Russians to believe in victory in Ukraine during his annual New Year's Eve address on Wednesday (Dec 31), as his country marked the holiday at war for the fourth year running.

His speech - which lasted just over three minutes - capped a year marked by steady Russian advances on the battlefield, mounting military casualties on both sides and a US-led diplomatic push to end the fighting.

Russia accused Ukraine of firing dozens of drones at one of Putin's homes earlier this week, a claim that Kyiv said Moscow invented to manipulate the peace process.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced Wednesday that he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European security advisers about putting peace efforts back on track in the new year, saying there was "important work" ahead.

Putin did not mention the drone incident in his speech, instead devoting much of his short address to "fighters and commanders" in Ukraine.

The Russian leader has consistently told his citizens that the military intends to seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian by force if talks fail.

Addressing soldiers, whom he called "heroes", Putin said in his address: "We believe in you and our victory." 

Russia - which now occupies around a fifth of Ukraine - has hit its smaller neighbour with an almost daily barrage of missiles and drones that have killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians and displaced millions.

In Vyshgorod, a town outside Kyiv, residents left without power for several days due to Russian bombing told AFP the strikes had made their lives "hell".

RUSSIA DOUBLES DOWN ON PUTIN HOME CLAIM

US-led diplomacy to end the war has gained pace in recent weeks, with Zelenskyy expected to attend a January 6 summit in France with allies, after holding talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida. 

But Russia has shown no sign of dropping its maximalist demands in Ukraine.

The European Union accused Moscow on Wednesday of trying to "derail" negotiations with its claim this week that Kyiv tried to attack Putin's residence in north-west Russia.

The Kremlin accused Ukraine of launching dozens of drones at Putin's lakeside residence in the Novgorod region - between Moscow and Saint Petersburg - on the night of Dec 28.

Moscow on Wednesday published footage of a drone it said Kyiv had sent toward the residence.   

Russia has called it a "terrorist attack" and a "personal attack" against Putin, saying it will toughen its negotiation stance in the Ukraine war talks.

The video, shot at night, showed a damaged drone lying in the snow in a forested area. The defence ministry said the alleged attack was "targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages." 

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which documents the Ukraine-Russia conflict, said Tuesday it had not seen any "footage or reporting that typically follows Ukrainian deep strikes to corroborate the Kremlin's claims of Ukrainian strikes threatening Putin's residence in Novgorod Oblast".

Putin has not publicly commented on the attack - aside from the Kremlin saying he had informed Trump about it in a call - and Moscow has not said where the Russian leader was at the time.

Putin's residences and private life are shrouded in secrecy in Russia.