Putin wishes Russians victory in Ukraine

MOSCOW, Jan 01 (Agencies): President Vladimir Putin urged Russians to believe in victory in Ukraine during his annual New Year's Eve address on Wednesday, 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 Zelensky 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".

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

Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack damaged power infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraine's energy ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said a "significant number" of households in the ?Volyn and Odesa regions - in northwestern and southwestern Ukraine, respectively - were disconnected from power supplies by the ?strike, as well as some in the Chernihiv region north of the capital Kyiv.

The governor of Volyn said more than 103,000 households in that region had ?lost power as a result of the attack. Volyn region is several hundred kilometers from the front line and borders NATO member Poland.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday his country was "10 per cent" away from a deal to end the war with Russia, but cautioned that the most important issues were unresolved and warned against rewarding Moscow. US-led efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks, but both sides remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.