According to local officials, dozens of civilians, including children, have been killed and injured, sparking a wave of strong condemnation from Russia and calls for the international community to speak out.
Kherson region officials said that the Ukrainian army launched an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a coffee shop and a hotel in Khorly village, where people are gathering to celebrate the New Year.
Kherson Governor Vladimir Saldo said the attack caused a major fire on New Year's Eve.
According to initial information, at least 24 people were killed, including 1 child, and more than 50 others were injured, including 5 young children. The fire broke out after the attack burned down an area of about 500m2 and was only controlled in the early morning of the next day.
A spokesman for the Kherson region government said that the injured victims were taken to emergency care at medical facilities in Crimea and Kherson. Among these, many were seriously injured and had to be treated intensively.
The list of victims includes children born in the period 2008-2019, causing a wave of outrage in local public opinion.
The Russian Federal Investigation Committee opened a criminal file, classifying the case under Article 205 of the Russian Penal Code, with charges of "terrorist attack". Moscow affirmed that this was a deliberate attack on civilians, with no military targets in the area hit.
Governor Vladimir Saldo described the incident as a "cruel terrorist act", saying that the attack on women and children during the New Year reflected Kiev's "despair".
He even compared the incident to the tragedy at the trade union building in Odessa in 2014, where dozens of people died in a fire that shocked Ukraine at that time.
From Moscow, Russian Senate Speaker Valentina Matviyenko declared that the attack only further strengthens Russia's determination to pursue the set military goals.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also accused Western countries of "calculatively turning a blind eye", saying that silence in the face of civilian deaths is a sign of complicity.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant agencies to publicly condemn the attack "without delay".
According to him, not reacting to the tragic images from the scene means condoning violence against civilians.
The Kherson government announced two days of mourning, January 2nd and 3rd, to commemorate the victims.
