Overview
- Russian-installed authorities in occupied Khorly say drones hit a hotel and cafe during New Year festivities, reporting 27 dead including minors and dozens injured.
- Ukraine’s General Staff says its forces strike only lawful military and energy targets, and a Ukrainian defense source told AFP the Khorly strike targeted a military gathering closed to civilians.
- Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a terrorism case and released images from the scene, but the Associated Press said it could not independently verify the accounts.
- Both sides reported large-scale holiday drone operations, with Kyiv citing more than 200 Russian attack drones against its energy grid and confirming strikes on Russian energy facilities in Krasnodar and Tatarstan.
- A separate Russian claim that Ukrainian drones targeted a presidential residence is contested, as Admiral Igor Kostyukov presented a drone controller to a U.S. attaché while U.S. intelligence told President Trump it sees no credible evidence Ukraine aimed at Putin’s home.