MOSCOW (Jan 1): Russia accused Ukraine on Thursday of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone strike on a hotel and cafe where civilians were seeing in the New Year in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, first made the accusation about the strike in a statement. Russia's Foreign Ministry and senior Russian politicians later accused Ukraine of carrying out "a terrorist attack". Russia's Foreign Ministry said initial information indicated that 24 people, including one child, had been killed, and that 50 people had been injured, including six minors who were being treated in hospital. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram that Ukraine's backers in the West were ultimately to blame.

Source: The Edge Markets January 01, 2026 12:30 UTC