Russia says Ukrainian drone strike kills 24 in Kherson

Russia has accused Ukraine of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone attack on a hotel and cafe visited by civilians on New Year’s Eve in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

The Ukrainian military, which accuses Russia of killing scores of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Vladimir Saldo, the governor appointed by Russia to the region, first made the accusation regarding the strike in a statement.

The Russian foreign ministry and senior Russian politicians later accused Ukraine of carrying out a “terrorist attack”.

Reuters could not immediately verify photos that Saldo’s press service said were from the aftermath of the attack or the allegation.

At least one body was visible in the images under a white sheet.

There were signs of a raging fire in the building, and there were what appeared to be bloodstains on the floor.

Saldo said in his statement that three Ukrainian drones hit the area where New Year celebrations were taking place in the coastal village of Khorly, in a “deliberate attack” against civilians. ‌

He said many people were burned alive.

Russia’s foreign ministry said preliminary information showed that 24 people, including one child, were killed and 50 people were injured, including six children who were treated in hospital.

The ministry described the attack as a “war crime” and said in a statement: “There is no doubt that the attack was planned in advance, with unmanned aerial vehicles deliberately targeting areas where civilians gathered to celebrate the New Year.” he said.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, in his statement to the TASS state news agency, stated that Russia will take its revenge on the battlefield and said that those who carried out the attack and their commanders should be targeted.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram that Ukraine’s allies are ultimately guilty.

Senior politicians, including speakers of both houses of the Russian parliament, condemned Ukraine.

Kherson is one of four regions in Ukraine that Russia will claim as its own in 2022; Ukraine and its allies condemned the move as an illegal land grab.

A Russian drone attack damaged energy infrastructure in many regions of Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

“Russia is deliberately bringing war in the new year. More than 200 attack aircraft were launched into Ukraine at night,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

Zelenskiy said that the energy infrastructure in seven regions across Ukraine was targeted.

He met with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday to discuss a peace framework that would end nearly four years of war.

Both leaders have said they are close to an agreement, but thorny issues over control of post-war regions remain.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said that a “significant number” of households in the Volyn and Odesa regions of northwestern and southwestern Ukraine, respectively, and some households in the Chernihiv region, north of the capital Kiev, experienced power outages due to the night attacks.

Volant’s governor said more than 103,000 households in the region lost electricity as a result of the attack.

The Volyn region is several hundred kilometers from the front line and borders NATO military alliance member Poland.