Russian authorities said on Friday that the death toll from a Ukrainian drone attack on a cafe in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region rose to 27. Kyiv denies attacking civilian targets.
Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia’s main criminal investigation agency, said in a statement that Ukrainian drones launched an attack on a cafe and hotel in the village of Hori, killing 27 people, including two minors. At least 100 civilians were celebrating New Year’s Eve in the village on Thursday night. A total of 31 people were injured and hospitalized, including five minors.
Petrenko said a criminal investigation had been launched into accusations of committing terrorist acts.
Kyiv denies attacking civilians. Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff, told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday that Ukrainian forces “comply with the norms of international humanitarian law” and “carry out strikes exclusively against Russian military targets, installations of the Russian fuel and energy sector and other legitimate targets.”
Lihovi said that the General Staff has published a clear list of targets for attacks by the Ukrainian army on New Year’s Eve. The list does not include attacks on occupied areas of the Kherson region.
Lihovi pointed out that Russia has repeatedly used false information and false statements to disrupt ongoing peace negotiations.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims of the attack.
Russia’s accusations against Ukraine come amid U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end Ukraine’s nearly four-year war. Earlier this week, Moscow claimed Kiev launched long-range drone attacks on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residence in northwest Russia from Sunday to Monday night.
Kyiv calls the accusations of an attack on Putin’s residence a ploy to derail ongoing peace talks, which have been heating up on both sides of the Atlantic in recent weeks.
In his New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the peace deal was “90% ready” but warned that the remaining 10% would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe and people’s way of life”, which is believed to include key sticking points such as territory.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss next steps in advancing the European peace process.”
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia carried out what local authorities called its “largest” drone strike overnight in Zaporozhye.
At least nine Russian drones struck the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, regional administration chief Ivan Fedorov wrote on Telegram on Friday. There were no casualties, the official said.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched a total of 116 long-range drones into Ukraine last night, of which 86 were intercepted and 27 have reached their targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday that its air defense systems intercepted 64 Ukrainian drones in various regions of Russia at night.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, Vyacheslav Gradkov on Friday also accused Ukrainian forces of conducting a missile attack on the city of Belgorod. Two women were injured and hospitalized, Gladkov said. The strike shattered windows in several residential buildings and damaged an unspecified “commercial” facility and some cars, the official said.
