Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region on Thursday claimed that a Ukrainian drone attack struck a cafe and a hotel along the Black Sea coast, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 50 others. The incident allegedly took place overnight in the village of Khorly as residents gathered to celebrate the New Year. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of the occupied Kherson region, said three drones hit the buildings, one of which carried an incendiary device.
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Russia Blames Ukrainian Drone Strike as Both Sides Escalate Attacks Amid Peace Push
According to him, the resulting fire was so intense that emergency responders were initially unable to reach victims trapped inside. Saldo added that the death toll — which reportedly includes a child — and the number of injured remain preliminary and could rise. The claims could not be independently verified, though Saldo later shared images purportedly showing the aftermath. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not comment directly on the alleged Kherson attack.
However, he said Russia launched more than 200 drones overnight across Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure in several regions. According to Ukrainian officials, power facilities were hit in Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv, leaving over 100,000 people without electricity in western Ukraine. The reported Kherson strike comes as fighting intensifies despite renewed diplomatic efforts led by US President Donald Trump to broker an end to the nearly four-year-long war. While Trump and Zelenskiy expressed optimism about peace talks last weekend, the Kremlin later signaled it would harden its negotiating stance.
Russian Officials Say Ukrainian Drone Strike
Earlier this week, Moscow alleged that Ukraine targeted a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region, a claim Kyiv denied. The US Central Intelligence Agency later assessed that Ukraine did not target any of Putin’s residences, according to a report.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has opened a criminal probe into the Kherson incident. Russian authorities also reported that drone debris sparked a fire near the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region overnight, which was later extinguished. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defense systems intercepted 168 drones across the country during the night. Both Russia and Ukraine have sharply increased attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in recent months, leaving large populations without electricity, heating and water amid freezing winter temperatures.
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