2023 has been an eventful year, full of changes, challenges and crises. In this festive period, CGTN visited Ukraine, Gaza, Israel and other areas beset by fighting to show how people spent New Year's amid conflict.

Shestakova Vera Mykytivna is a Ukrainian granny who currently lives in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Living a humble life, she made pancakes and cookies to treat her neighbors as part of her New Year's celebrations. In this video, she invited a CGTN stringer to her home. She said she wants peace for 2024 and wishes everyone the best for the new year.