Blasts heard around Ukraine on early New Year's Day

STORY: Ukrainians in the capital Kyiv shouted out “Glory to Ukraine – glory to heroes” after midnight on New Years Day, as air raid sirens wailed across the country.

It was a somber rally after Kyiv endured a barrage of at least 20 cruise missiles on New Year’s Eve, which killed at least one person.

Later attacks around midnight apparently began minutes after a New Year’s speech by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The war is now in its 11th month.

In a separate message, Zelenskiy made note of how Russia had also attacked at Easter and Christmas.

“They call themselves Christians,” said Zelenskiy, but they “are following the devil.”

And in part of his message to Russians in their native language,

He said the war was not with NATO as Russia says, but for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to maintain power for life.

Meanwhile in Moscow, Putin delivered his own New Year message on national TV, stood in front of troops.

He said they were fighting for the motherland, truth and justice.

Putin also repeated allegations that Kyiv and the West reject- that the Western NATO alliance planned to use Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia.

Instead, the West and Kyiv say Putin launched a baseless war of aggression in a bid to seize territory and install a regime more to his liking.