This handout photo released by Russia-appointed governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, shows the site of a drone attack on a hotel in Khroly on January 1, 2026. (Photo by The Governor of Kherson region Vladimir Saldo / AFP)Russia on Thursday said Kyiv was behind a deadly drone strike on a hotel in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region that killed at least 20 people celebrating the New Year. According to a Russia-appointed governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, “the enemy” fired three drones that “struck a cafe and hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly” where “civilians were celebrating the New Year”. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of carrying out a “terrorist” attack against the civilian population. An AFP analysis based on Ukrainian air force data showed a slight fall in overnight Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in December.

Source: Punch January 01, 2026 16:45 UTC