Kherson Drone Attack: 27 Fatalities Amid Denials from Kyiv

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

On Friday, Russian officials reported that a drone strike, purportedly by Ukrainian forces, resulted in the deaths of 27 people in Khorly, a village in the Russian-occupied Kherson region. The attack seems to have struck a café and hotel where civilians gathered for New Year’s Eve celebrations, with two minors among the deceased. Additionally, 31 individuals, including five minors, sustained injuries and were hospitalized.

Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, confirmed the initiation of a criminal probe into the incident on charges of terrorism.

In response, Ukrainian military officials have refuted the claims of hitting civilian targets. Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesperson for Ukraine’s General Staff, informed national broadcaster Suspilne that Ukrainian operations adhere strictly to international humanitarian norms. He noted that their strikes focus solely on Russian military assets, energy installations, and other legitimate targets. According to him, there were no Ukrainian offensives reported in the occupied Kherson territories during the New Year’s Eve festivities.

Lykhovii criticized Russia for disseminating misinformation aimed at undermining ongoing peace negotiations between the two nations.

This incident emerges amidst renewed diplomatic efforts spearheaded by the United States to resolve the nearly four-year conflict. Earlier this week, Russia charged Ukraine with launching a long-range drone assault on President Vladimir Putin’s residence—claims that Kyiv dismissed as attempts to sabotage peace discussions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated in his New Year’s address that a peace settlement is “90% finalized,” though major concerns, such as territorial disputes, remain pivotal for resolution.

In related news, Russian officials reported a large-scale drone strike on Zaporizhzhia, where nine drones targeted residential and civilian infrastructure, fortunately without casualties.

Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that Russia launched 116 long-range drones overnight, successfully intercepting 86. Meanwhile, 27 drones reportedly reached their targets. Conversely, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have thwarted 64 Ukrainian drones across various regions of Russia.

Moreover, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region adjacent to Ukraine, announced that Ukrainian forces struck the city of Belgorod with missiles, injuring two women and damaging residential structures, commercial properties, and vehicles.