Overview
- Officials report three drones targeted a cafe and a hotel in the village of Khorly as civilians marked the New Year.
- Preliminary figures list 24 dead and dozens injured, including children, with several critically hurt transferred to hospitals in Crimea.
- Governor Vladimir Saldo said one drone carried an incendiary mixture that sparked an intense fire, and he reported reconnaissance drones hindered rescue efforts for hours.
- Senior Russian political and religious figures issued condemnations, with Dmitry Medvedev vowing retribution and regional leaders pledging assistance to victims’ families.
- A Kherson partisan source claimed NATO-made reconnaissance UAVs were used, a detail reported as unverified in the coverage.