The death toll from the Ukrainian drone strike on civilians celebrating New Year’s Eve in Kherson Region has increased to 27, and 31 others are reported as wounded, Russia’s Investigative Committee has said. Initial reports spoke of 24 fatalities.
The attack occurred shortly before midnight on December 31 in the Black Sea coastal village of Khorly. Multiple drones struck a crowded cafe and a hotel, triggering a massive blaze. At least one of the UAVs was carrying an incendiary mixture.
Two children were killed in the attack and five additional minors were among the injured, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Friday.
At least 100 civilians, including guests and staff, had been inside the venue when the “terrorist act” took place, the statement read.
Fragments of several drones have been discovered by those investigating the scene of the attack, the agency said.
More than 26 forensic examinations, including medical, genetic, explosive and fire safety analysis, have been ordered as part of the investigation, it added.
"All members of the Ukrainian military involved in this crime will be identified and brought to justice,” the agency stressed.
Kherson Region, together with Zaporozhye Region and the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, joined Russia in the fall of 2022 as a result of local referendums. The territories have been frequent targets of indiscriminate Ukrainian attacks during the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
Russian officials have said that the drone strike in Khorly was intentionally timed to maximize casualties and represents a war crime.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, suggested on Thursday that the attack was intended to “distract attention from the failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and disrupt any attempts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
Gatilov also condemned the Western nations for failing to react to the drone strike, warning that remaining silent was tantamount to “open complicity and involvement in the bloody crimes of neo-Nazis.”