Ukraine Accused of Attacking Cafe and Hotel in Kherson, 24 Dead

Illustration of the explosion (Antara)

JAKARTA - Three unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) hit a cafe and hotel in Kherson Oblast and killed 24 people and injured more than 50 others, Governor Vladimir Saldo said on Thursday (1/1).

"Tonight, the enemy [Ukraine] carried out a targeted drone attack on a place where civilians were celebrating New Year. Three drones hit a cafe and a hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly," said Saldo, who was appointed by Russia as governor of the region.

"Temporary data: more than 50 people were injured, 24 were killed. We are still clarifying the number. Many were burned alive. A child was killed," he said, quoted by Sputnik.

Saldo said the attack happened almost exactly at the turn of the year. The fire had been put out and medical teams were still fighting to save the lives of the injured victims, he said.

Despite being in Ukraine, Kherson is controlled by Russia as an official part of its territory. On September 30, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree annexing Kherson and three other Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.

Responding to the drone attack, the head of the Russian Parliament's upper house, Valentina Matvienko, said on Thursday that Russia asked the international community and the leaders of the country to condemn the attack.

"There is no excuse that can justify an attack on civilians on the eve of the New Year's celebration," he said.