Russian authorities have accused Ukraine of a drone strike that killed at least 24 people and wounded 50 more in the occupied village of Khorly in Ukraine's Kherson region, as revellers celebrated the new year. Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed leader of the region, said three drones struck a cafe and hotel on the Black Sea coast, with one carrying an incendiary mixture that started a fire.
Ukraine rejected the claim, with a military spokesperson telling Interfax Ukraine that Kyiv's forces exclusively target Russian military or energy sites. The spokesperson did not directly address the specific incident but said all strikes are published on the general staff's social media page and adhere to international humanitarian law.
Separately, Russia's defence ministry claimed that a long-range drone attack on Tuesday had targeted President Vladimir Putin's residence in north-western Russia. The ministry said navigation data from a downed drone confirmed the residence was the target, but offered no evidence. The Wall Street Journal reported that the CIA had determined no such attack occurred, and Donald Trump initially expressed anger before sharing an editorial dismissing the claims as bluster.
Ukraine has called the allegations a ruse to derail peace negotiations, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his new year address were '90 per cent ready', with the remaining 10 per cent about territory and other sticking points. Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff reported a 'productive call' with European and Ukrainian national security advisers on advancing the peace process.
