Russian authorities have dramatically escalated their allegations against Ukraine, claiming a Ukrainian drone strike on a civilian gathering in the occupied village of Khorly has resulted in 27 fatalities. The incident reportedly occurred during New Year’s Eve celebrations at a local café and hotel in Ukraine’s Kherson region, which is currently under Russian control. According to Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, the attack also left 31 individuals hospitalized, including five minors. Russian officials have initiated a criminal terrorism investigation in response.
Kyiv has issued a firm and comprehensive denial of these allegations. Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff, asserted that Ukrainian forces strictly adhere to international humanitarian law and target exclusively military installations, Russian energy sector facilities, and other legitimate objectives. He emphasized that an official list of targets struck on New Year’s Eve had been published, which did not include any operations in the occupied parts of Kherson region. Lykhovii further characterized Russia’s claims as a disinformation campaign aimed at undermining ongoing peace negotiations.
The exchange of accusations unfolds against a backdrop of intensified diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that a peace agreement was ‘90% ready,’ while cautioning that critical territorial issues within the remaining 10% would prove decisive. This week also saw Moscow alleging a Ukrainian drone attack on President Putin’s residence, which Kyiv similarly dismissed as a fabricated pretext to disrupt talks.
Meanwhile, the conflict’s violence continued elsewhere. Russian forces launched what local authorities described as one of their most massive drone assaults on Zaporizhzhia, damaging dozens of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, though no casualties were reported. Ukraine’s Air Force stated that 86 of 116 incoming long-range drones were intercepted overnight. Simultaneously, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 64 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions, with the governor of Belgorod region accusing Ukrainian forces of a missile strike that injured two women.