Overview
- Regional authorities report a targeted strike on a café and adjacent hotel in Khorly during New Year’s celebrations, with preliminary figures of 24 dead and dozens wounded, including children.
- Officials allege Ukrainian drones carried out the attack, saying one UAV used an incendiary mixture that set off a fire so intense responders could not enter for hours.
- Governor Vladimir Saldo says identification is underway because many bodies were badly burned, and an official list of victims will be released after forensic confirmation.
- Medical officials say six wounded, including two children, have been transferred to Crimea for treatment, and Saldo reports 19 patients remain hospitalized in Kherson region facilities.
- Senior Russian political and religious figures issued condemnations, with Dmitry Medvedev promising retribution, and pro‑Russian sources claim NATO‑made reconnaissance drones were used as the probe continues.