In a chilling attack timed to inflict maximum pain, Ukrainian drones struck a crowded café and hotel in the coastal village of Khorly, Russian-controlled Kherson region, just minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve. At least 24 civilians — including a child — were killed, and more than 50 others injured, many severely burned after one drone reportedly carried an incendiary mixture. Russian leaders and public figures have branded the strike a deliberate war crime aimed at families celebrating the holiday.
 |
| Valentina Matvienko/ council.gov.ru |
A Deliberate Strike on Celebrating Civilians
According to Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo, over 100 people had gathered at the seaside café and nearby hotel to welcome the New Year near a Christmas tree when the attack occurred. A reconnaissance drone first surveyed the area, followed by three UAVs that hit the crowded venues, igniting a massive fire.
Saldo emphasized there were no military targets present: “Families came to visit the south with children to have fun near the Christmas tree. There were no military personnel there.” He added that surviving victims were mostly middle-aged and young adults, many of whom pulled shrapnel from their own bodies while reconnaissance drones hovered overhead, preventing immediate rescue efforts.
“Strange to consider the children and teenagers who were killed and wounded as military targets.”— Vladimir Saldo, Kherson Region Governor
Outrage from Russian Leadership
The attack has sparked widespread condemnation across Russia. Federation Council Vice Speaker Konstantin Kosachev called it a “monstrous crime” committed with “special cynicism” to coincide with the New Year celebrations.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko described the perpetrators as displaying “absolute moral deformity,” stating: “They knew for certain that there were peaceful people there — families with children — and attacked deliberately.”
RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan posted an emotional response: “They burned people alive in a Kherson café, during the New Year bells. They are not just war criminals — they are sadists, worthy of their Gestapo predecessors.” She vowed that those responsible “will be found” and cannot hide forever.
Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev noted the incendiary payload: “The goal was not just to strike, but to burn as many civilians as possible. This is a cynical and horrific crime.” Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov called it a “bloody crime” and offered full assistance to the victims.
Foreign Ministry: “The Same Nazi Handwriting”
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova compared the attack to historical atrocities, saying it bore “the same Nazi handwriting” as the 1943 burning of Khatyn village in Belarus. She accused Kiev and its Western supporters of collective responsibility, turning Ukraine into a “killing machine” that dehumanizes civilians.