Earlier on Jan. 1, Volodymyr Saldo, a Ukrainian politician turned top Russian proxy head of Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, accused Kyiv of launching three drones at a hotel and a cafe on the Black Sea coast. Saldo claimed that the alleged New Year drone strike on the village of Khorly killed 24 people, including a child, and wounded more than 50.

Ukraine’s military said on Jan. 1 that it follows international humanitarian law and strikes only military targets, responding to a Russian accusation that it carried out a deadly drone attack in the occupied part of southern Kherson Oblast.

Earlier on Jan. 1, Volodymyr Saldo, a Ukrainian politician turned top Russian proxy in Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, accused Kyiv of launching three drones at a hotel and a cafe in the village of Khorly. Saldo claimed that the alleged New Year drone strike killed 24 people, including a child, and wounded more than 50 others.

“(Ukrainian forces) strike exclusively at enemy military targets, facilities of the Russian Federation’s fuel and energy complex, and other legitimate targets, with the aim of reducing the military potential of the aggressor country,” Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesperson for Ukraine’s General Staff, told Interfax Ukraine news agency.

The Kyiv Independent couldn’t independently verify whether the alleged drone attack took place, as there is little reliable information coming out of the Russian-occupied territories, where Moscow is intensifying its propaganda to strengthen its control in the area.

Interfax Ukraine reported, citing Lykhovii, that Moscow and its proxy authorities in the occupied territories of Ukraine have repeatedly twisted information and issued fake statements.

Moscow claimed on Dec. 29 that a Ukrainian drone attack targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northern Novgorod Oblast, a claim immediately denied by Ukraine. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency denied on Jan. 1 that such an attempted attack had occurred.

Russian troops attack the Ukrainian-controlled part of Kherson Oblast from across the Dnipro River on a near-daily basis, resulting in civilian casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure. The attacks have intensified in 2025, with Moscow ramping up its use of first-person view (FPV) drones to target civilians in Ukrainian-controlled areas of Kherson Oblast.

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