Russian Backed Officials Say 27 Killed in Alleged Ukrainian Drone Strike in Occupied Kherson; Kyiv Denies Claim
Russian authorities said Friday that the death toll from what they described as a Ukrainian drone strike on a café in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region has risen to 27, while Kyiv denied targeting civilians.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said a drone hit a café and hotel in the village of Khorly as civilians were celebrating New Year’s Eve. She said at least 100 people were gathered at the time of the strike, which she claimed killed 27 people, including two minors. Another 31 people, including five children, were hospitalized with injuries.
Petrenko said a criminal investigation has been launched on charges of committing an act of terrorism.
Ukraine rejected the accusations. Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s General Staff, told public broadcaster Suspilne that Ukrainian forces “adhere to international humanitarian law” and carry out strikes only against military and other lawful targets.
Lykhovii said the General Staff had published a list of targets struck by Ukrainian forces on New Year’s Eve and that it did not include any locations in the occupied parts of the Kherson region. He added that Russia has repeatedly used disinformation to undermine ongoing peace efforts.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims surrounding the alleged attack.
The accusations come as a U.S.-led diplomatic push intensifies to end the nearly four-year war. Earlier this week, Moscow alleged that Ukraine carried out a long-range drone attack targeting a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in northwestern Russia. Kyiv dismissed the claim as a provocation aimed at derailing peace talks.
In his New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a peace deal was “90 percent ready,” but warned that the remaining unresolved issues — believed to include territorial disputes — would determine the future of Ukraine, Europe and regional stability.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and presidential adviser Jared Kushner held what he described as a “productive call” with national security advisers from Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine to discuss next steps in the European peace process.
Meanwhile, fighting continued elsewhere. Ukrainian officials said Russia carried out one of its largest drone attacks on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia overnight. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov said at least nine drones struck the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. No casualties were reported.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 116 long-range drones overnight, intercepting 86 while 27 reached their targets.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 64 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions. In the border region of Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov accused Ukrainian forces of launching a missile strike on the city, injuring two women and damaging residential buildings, vehicles and a commercial facility.
