Russia accuses Ukraine of killing 27 people in New Year attack in occupied Kherson

Russia has accused Ukraine of killing at least 27 people in a drone strike on a New Year’s party in a hotel and cafe in the Russian-occupied southern Kherson region.

According to the Russia-installed regional governor, Vladimir Saldo, more than 30 people were injured in the alleged attack, which he said happened in the village of Khorly on the Black Sea.

Asked by the BBC for comment, Ukraine said it would not directly respond to sources of information such as claims from governors of occupied regions.

But it did say it adheres to the norms of international humanitarian law and conducts strikes exclusively against military targets.

AFP news agency quoted a source in Ukraine’s defence forces as confirming that, while a strike did take place, the attack had targeted a military gathering that was closed to civilians.

According to Saldo, the alleged attack was carried out with three UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] which “struck a cafe and hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly”.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify either these claims or the number of casualties.

Saldo said that he had personally informed President Vladimir Putin of the attack.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it was aware of the alleged attack and added it would “verify the reported civilian harm and report on its findings in future reports”.

Photographs published by Russian state media showed a badly damaged room with a collapsed roof. One picture appeared to show a body covered in a sheet.

The Russian-installed authorities in Kherson did not specify where the attack took place, but the damaged building seen in the photos appears to be a three-storey hotel and restaurant formerly known as “Ukrainian House”, and now called “Buganova’s Cafe”.

Images from the cafe’s website show several features similar to those seen in the pictures published on Russian state media.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into the attack, while the Russian foreign affairs ministry accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “seeking to intimidate the populations of the reunited Russian regions, who have forever linked their fates with Russia through referendums”.

Moscow occupies more than half of the southern Kherson region, which it “annexed” through a referendum in 2022. The poll was denounced as a sham by Ukraine’s government and its allies.

The alleged attack comes as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue, with Zelensky saying in his New Year address that an agreement with Russia, brokered by the US, was “90% ready”.

Earlier this week, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on one of Putin’s residences, which Ukraine strenuously denied.

On Friday, Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service released a statement accusing Russia of preparing large-scale “provocations” with human casualties, as part of a continuing operation to derail peace talks.