Ukrainian drone strike kills 24 in Kherson, claims Russia

Russia and Ukraine traded fierce accusations on New Year’s Day as the war’s violence spilled into the holiday, with Moscow claiming a deadly Ukrainian drone strike on a New Year celebration in the southern Kherson region, while Kyiv accused Russia of launching a massive overnight assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the Al Jazeera reported.

Russian-installed officials in Kherson said at least 24 people, including a child, were killed and around 50 injured after what they described as a Ukrainian drone attack on a hotel and café in the coastal village of Khorly, where residents had gathered to welcome the New Year. Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed governor of the region, called the strike “deliberate” and accused Ukraine of targeting civilians, alleging that some victims were burned alive when fire engulfed the building.

Images published by Saldo showed a charred structure and what appeared to be bloodstains on the ground, though the photographs could not be independently verified. Russia’s foreign ministry swiftly branded the incident a “terrorist attack” and a “war crime,” while spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed Ukraine’s Western backers bore ultimate responsibility. Senior Russian politicians, including the speakers of both houses of parliament, echoed the condemnation.

Ukraine, however, firmly rejected the allegations. A Ukrainian military spokesperson told Russia’s Interfax news agency that Kyiv strikes only “legitimate military targets,” including fuel, energy and defence-related facilities, and does not target civilians, the Al Jazeera reported.

Ukrainian forces said they had carried out overnight strikes on Russia’s Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region and the Almetyevsk oil facility in Tatarstan — more than 965km from Ukrainian-controlled territory — though the full impact was still being assessed.

As Moscow levelled its accusations, Kyiv painted a starkly different picture of the night’s events. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia unleashed more than 200 attack drones across Ukraine overnight, deliberately targeting energy infrastructure in seven regions. Ukraine’s air force said it downed or suppressed 176 of the 205 drones launched, though at least 24 strikes were recorded at 15 locations as the assault continued into the morning.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said railway facilities in three regions were also hit, underscoring the scale of the attack. Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s holiday offensive highlighted the urgency of bolstering Ukraine’s air defences, urging allies to deliver promised equipment without delay.

The Russian defence ministry maintained its strikes were aimed at military targets and energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s war effort.

The exchange of claims came amid heightened tensions and fragile diplomatic manoeuvring. Earlier this week, Moscow alleged that Ukraine launched a long-range drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s official residences—an accusation Kyiv dismissed as a fabrication designed to derail emerging peace talks.

Despite the escalating rhetoric, diplomatic efforts appear to be gathering pace. In his New Year address, Zelenskyy said a peace agreement was “90 percent ready,” while cautioning that unresolved issues — particularly territorial questions — would shape the future of Ukraine and Europe. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Western and Ukrainian officials had held “productive” discussions on advancing a European peace process, with further high-level talks scheduled in the coming days.

As the new year dawns, the war shows no sign of easing, with both sides locked in a bitter contest of narratives — each accusing the other of brutality, even as civilians on both sides remain caught in the crossfire.