President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s fresh missile barrage on Dec. 31, stressing that neither Ukraine nor the world would ever forgive the deadly “Russian terror.”
Zelensky’s statement comes a few hours after Russia launched over 20 cruise missiles at Ukraine, of which Ukraine’s military says the Air Force shot down 12.
“A terrorist state will not receive forgiveness, and those who give orders for such strikes, who carry it out, will not receive forgiveness – to put it mildly,” Zelensky said in a video address.
As of 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 31, at least one person was killed, and over 30 were wounded during the New Year’s Eve attack.
“Several waves of missile attacks on New Year's Eve, missiles against the people - this wasn't done by humans,” Zelensky added.
In the same video, Zelensky spoke briefly in Russian, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is only waging a brutal war to remain in power and “he does not care” about his country and the people who live there.
Zelensky’s rare address to the Russian public follows Ukraine’s Defense Minister’s video speech on Dec. 30, where he warned Russians that their leadership is preparing a new wave of mobilization and plans to close the border within a week.