Russia says Ukraine killed 24 people, including a child, in a drone attack on a hotel and cafe during New Year celebrations in Kherson region.
MOSCOW: Russia has accused Ukraine of killing at least 24 civilians in a New Year’s Eve drone strike on a hotel and cafe in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Kherson region.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor, said three Ukrainian drones struck the site of celebrations in the coastal village of Khorly.
He described it as a deliberate strike against civilians, claiming many people were burnt alive.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said initial information indicated 24 people, including one child, were killed and 50 others injured.
Six minors were among those being treated in hospital, the ministry added.
“There is no doubt that the attack was planned in advance, with drones deliberately targeting areas where civilians had gathered,” the ministry stated.
It called the attack “a war crime”.
Reuters could not immediately verify photographs of the aftermath or the allegations.
Images showed at least one body under a white sheet, a building with signs of a fierce fire, and what appeared to be blood stains on the ground.
Ukraine’s military, which has accused Russia of killing many civilians in its own attacks, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Ukraine’s Western backers were ultimately to blame.
Senior Russian politicians, including the speakers of both houses of parliament, condemned Kyiv.
Kherson is one of four Ukrainian regions Russia claimed to annex in 2022, a move widely denounced as illegal.
