The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a cafe and a hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly, Kherson region, with three drones on New Year's Eve, killing at least 24 people including one child and injuring more than 50 others, according to TASS reporting in the past hour ending at 9:15 AM UTC on January 1, 2026. TASS detailed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces deliberately targeted the location where civilians were celebrating the New Year, with a reconnaissance drone striking almost as the chimes were sounding, resulting in a fire that was later extinguished. RIA Novosti quoted Sergey Aksenov, head of Crimea, describing the incident as "the bloody crime of brutal Ukrainian Nazis on New Year's Eve." TASS also reported Maria Zakharova stating that Kyiv’s attack on civilians in the Kherson region shows "bestial handwriting and dehumanization in geometric progression," adding that all those "who sponsor terrorist bastards in Ukraine" are guilty of the civilian deaths.
