By Dalena Reporters l January 1, 2026
KHORLY / MOSCOW — In a deeply troubling escalation of rhetoric and civilian harm amid the protracted Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian-installed governor of the Kherson region on Thursday, January 1, 2026, accused Ukrainian forces of launching a drone strike that killed at least 24 people, including a child, as New Year’s Eve revelers gathered at a hotel and café in the coastal village of Khorly. The alleged attack also reportedly wounded more than 50 others, including several minors.
In a post on the Telegram messaging platform, Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed leader of the southern Kherson region which is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine but has been under Russian control since Russia’s 2022 annexation claimed that three Ukrainian drones targeted civilian sites where people were celebrating the New Year. Saldo characterised the operation as a “deliberate strike” on non-combatants and asserted that many victims were burned alive by ensuing fires.
State-aligned Russian media and officials, including spokespeople from the Russian Foreign Ministry, echoed Saldo’s account, describing the incident as a war crime and accusing Kyiv’s Western backers of enabling what they labelled “terrorist” tactics against civilian populations. Russian authorities also reported that six minors were hospitalised following the alleged attack.
Despite the severity of the claims, independent verification of the incident and casualty figures remains unavailable, and Ukraine’s military had not immediately responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting. Reuters and other international news agencies noted that physical evidence and on-the-ground confirmation could not be independently confirmed.
The alleged strike occurred against a backdrop of intense military engagements and reciprocal accusations between Kyiv and Moscow. According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces conducted large-scale overnight drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, including power facilities across seven regions, underscoring the conflict’s multidirectional violence on both civilian and military targets.
International reaction to the reported incident was muted in initial hours, with Western governments typically calling for restraint and adherence to international humanitarian law while noting the difficulties in independently verifying claims made by either side in the conflict. Analysts caution that this latest allegation could further inflame tensions just as diplomatic efforts to resume peace talks are underway.
The situation in Kherson remains volatile, with the region representing one of several flashpoints in the nearly four-year war that has inflicted widespread destruction, displacement, and civilian casualties across Ukraine. Continued fighting, reciprocal strikes, and competing narratives from both Ukrainian and Russian authorities underscore the deepening complexity of the conflict as it enters its fifth calendar year.