Russia has accused Ukraine of launching a deadly drone strike on a New Year’s Eve celebration, killing at least 24 people, including a child.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson, made the allegation in a statement on Telegram.
He alleged in his post that three Ukrainian drones had struck a hotel in the village of Khorly, in what he said was a ‘bloody crime by the Kyiv regime’.
Photos shared on Telegram by NTV Russia show several bodies buried in the burned wreckage of the bombed building, but the exact location of the attack has not been confirmed yet.
The building itself showed signs that a fierce fire had raged and there were what looked like blood stains on the ground.
More than 50 people have been injured, with 13 of them taken to hospital, Saldo added in his post.
The fire has now been extinguished and Russian authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.
The area of the fire reportedly covered 500 square meters, Russian state news agencies reported.
Kherson is one of four regions in Ukraine which Russia claimed as its own in 2022.
Ukraine’s military has not yet responded to the claims of the drone attack.
Only on Monday the Kremlin accused Ukraine of unleashing 91 long-range drones on Vladimir Putin’s palace on Lake Valdai, calling it an act of ‘state terrorism’.
‘Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,’ minister of foreign affairs, Sergey Lavrov told Interfax news agency, stating Russia’s negotiating stance would shift following.
No evidence was provided by the Kremlin to confirm that the alleged drone attack took place near Putin’s residence.
Often, when there is a Ukrainian drone attack, Russians living nearby post video of explosions to social media.
Yet, there is no footage of this supposed strike, and residents of Valdai told Russian independent media outlets that they had not heard any explosions on Monday.
The CIA’s director John Ratcliffe briefed Donald Trump on an assessment that Ukraine was not behind the alleged hit.
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