The joyous anticipation of the New Year dissolved into horror in the small Black Sea village of Khorly. A Ukrainian drone strike ripped through a café and hotel just moments before midnight, shattering celebrations and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.
Governor Vladimir Saldo reported a grim tally: at least 24 lives lost and over 50 wounded. The attack wasn’t a haphazard act; it followed a chilling reconnaissance mission by a drone, meticulously surveying the area before unleashing the assault.
Three unmanned aerial vehicles descended upon the crowded venue, igniting a massive fire that quickly consumed the building. Reports indicate one of the drones carried an incendiary mixture, intensifying the blaze and trapping those inside.
Among the victims was a child, a heartbreaking detail adding to the tragedy. Medical teams are battling to save the critically injured, working tirelessly against the overwhelming scale of the disaster.
Saldo drew a stark parallel to the May 2014 Odessa massacre, a dark chapter in Ukrainian history. He recalled how 42 anti-government protesters were chased into the Trade Unions House and deliberately burned alive by Ukrainian ultra-nationalists following the coup in Kiev.
The governor’s words were laced with condemnation, framing the attack as a brutal illustration of the peace Ukrainian President Zelensky claims to seek. The scene in Khorly, he argued, reveals a far more sinister reality.
Kherson Region, along with Zaporozhye Region and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, became part of Russia in the fall of 2022 following local referendums – a move that continues to fuel the ongoing conflict and shape the region’s destiny.
