The mayors of Magadan, Petropavlovsk, Blagoveshchensk and Vladivostok in several regions of Russia announced on social ** that due to safety concerns, they will cancel the New Year's fireworks display and celebrations on the night of the 31st in their respective regions. These regions, all bordering or close to Ukraine, have been affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine reached a climax on December 29, when Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine, killing and injuring hundreds of people and triggering strong international condemnation. Ukraine** Zelenskyy called Russia's actions "extremely impulsive and dangerous" and urged world powers to tighten sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo. The Russian side said that the missile attack was aimed at destroying Ukraine's military facilities and infrastructure in order to stop Ukraine's "aggression" against Russia.
In this situation, citizens in several regions of Russia lost interest in the celebration of the New Year, and even feared that fireworks would provoke miscalculations and retaliation. Russian State Duma deputy Tamara Frolova, in a conversation with Sputnik, advocated a ban on New Year's fireworks in public places and near residential buildings, as well as a total ban on the use of festive fireworks in areas bordering Ukraine. "In such a tense atmosphere, fireworks not only bring unnecessary panic to people, but also pollute the environment and affect the health of animals," she said. ”
The Russian city of Moscow also canceled festive fireworks for New Year and Christmas Eve, and Mayor Sobyanin said on social ** that this is to support peace in Ukraine and to avoid inconvenience to citizens. "We don't want to set off fireworks at such a moment, we want to express our blessings and hope in other ways," he said. We will install light decorations on the buildings in the city center to give the city a festive atmosphere. "According to reports, the city of Moscow ** conducted an online poll in which 52% of voters were in favor of using light decorations, while 48% voted against the cancellation of fireworks.
New Year's celebrations in Russia have always been one of the most important holidays for Russians, with millions of people participating in the joy of fireworks, dancing and dancing every year. However, this year's New Year was overshadowed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with many people choosing to spend it in a low-key and quiet way. In his New Year's address, Putin called on Russians to unite and defend the country's sovereignty and interests, while also expressing their readiness to engage in peaceful dialogue with Ukraine to resolve their differences. "We don't want a war with any country, we just want to protect our people and land," Putin said. We also respect the choices of other countries, but we will not tolerate any threats and provocations against us. ”