In a new escalation of military action on the southern front, Russian authorities accused the Ukrainian army of launching an intensive drone attack on New Year's Eve, targeting a village in the Moscow-controlled part of the Kherson region, killing 24 people and injuring dozens.
Details of the bloody attack in Khorley
The Russian Investigative Committee announced in an official statement on Thursday that the attack targeted a cafe in the village of Khorly, located on a peninsula on the Black Sea coast. Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed governor of the region, confirmed via Telegram that the shelling killed at least 24 civilians, describing the attack as a "deliberate act" targeting a celebratory gathering.
Russian officials released photos showing the extent of the devastation, including charred bodies and the rubble of a reduced building, while local authorities declared two days of mourning in the area. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the incident as a "terrorist attack," noting its sensitive timing during the New Year's celebrations.
Field context and the southern front
The Kherson region is of great strategic importance in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. It was the first major city to fall into the hands of Russian forces at the beginning of the invasion in February 2022. However, in the autumn of the same year, specifically in November 2022, Ukrainian forces succeeded in regaining control of the city of Kherson (the regional capital) and the western bank of the Dnieper River, in one of Kyiv's most significant field victories.
Since then, the Dnieper River has become a natural dividing line and a flashpoint between the two sides. Russia currently controls the eastern bank of the river, where the targeted village of Khurly is located, while Ukraine controls the western bank. This area sees almost daily exchanges of artillery fire and drone attacks, as well as ongoing attempts by Ukrainian forces to establish bridgeheads on the eastern bank.
Drone war and escalating tensions
This attack comes amid a significant shift in the course of the war, with drones becoming a primary weapon for both sides due to their low cost and ability to deliver precise strikes behind enemy lines. Ukraine is increasingly using drones to target Russian military bases, command centers, and supply lines in the occupied territories and even deep inside Russia.
This incident reflects the continued cycle of violence and the absence of any prospect for diplomatic de-escalation in the foreseeable future. While Russia seeks to consolidate its control over the territories it formally annexed in September 2012 (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia), Ukraine continues its efforts to regain control of all its territory, making the border regions and contact lines a constant theater of bloody military operations, the price of which is often paid by civilians.
As of the time of writing this report, no official comment has been issued by the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv regarding the Russian accusations concerning the Khürli attack, which is a policy Ukraine often follows of not directly claiming responsibility for attacks that occur within Russian-controlled territory or within Russia itself.
