24 killed, 50 others injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Kherson Region

MOSCOW, Jan. 01 (YPA) – At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a Ukrainian drone strike targeting a café and hotel in the coastal village of Khorly in Russian-held  Kherson region, according to Russian authorities.

Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed governor of the region, said that the attack occurred shortly before midnight and followed an initial reconnaissance phase, with multiple drones striking the venue and triggering fires as people gathered to mark the New Year.

Emergency crews responded overnight, and several of the wounded remain in serious condition, he added.

Meanwhile, Moscow said that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 168 Ukrainian drones overnight across several Russian regions.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, overnight, 168 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed. Of these, 61 were shot down over Bryansk, 25 over Krasnodar, 23 over Tula, 16 over Crimea, 12 over the Moscow region—including nine en route to the capital—seven over Kaluga, and 24 over the Sea of Azov.

The Russian General Staff, in a report to President Vladimir Putin, stated that Russian forces have taken control of “6,460 square kilometers of territory and 334 towns in 2025,” asserting that “the enemy is unable to launch any offensive” and that Russian forces “are advancing and achieving victories deep within enemy defenses.”

@E.Y.M