Ukraine denies targeting civilians, after Moscow says hotel hit

The Ukrainian army said on Friday (January 2, 2026) it only hit “military targets”, a day after Russia accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in Ukraine’s occupied south, killing 27 people.

Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region said those killed were revellers celebrating the New Year and that two of the dead were children, describing the incident as a “terrorist act”.

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A source in Ukraine’s defence forces confirmed a strike took place, but said the attack targeted a military gathering that was closed to civilians.

AFP was not able to verify either account.

The hotel where Moscow says the strike took place lies in Khorly, a Black Sea resort town the Russian army has occupied since early 2022.

The region’s Russian-installed governor, Vladimir Saldo, published images on Thursday that appeared to show the burned-out interior of a building as well as fragments of charred bodies.

In comments to AFP, Ukrainian army spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy accused Russia of repeatedly resorting to “disinformation and false statements”.

“Ukraine’s Defence Forces adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law and strike exclusively at enemy military targets,” he said.

Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service said in a statement earlier Friday that Russia was preparing to orchestrate a “large-scale provocation with human casualties”, without providing immediate evidence.

The accusations come at a crunch moment in the nearly four-year conflict, the deadliest on European soil since World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a New Year’s Eve address that a US-brokered peace deal was “90 percent” ready, though the most important issue of territory remains unresolved.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a “special military operation” to prevent the expansion of NATO — a war aim that Kyiv has called a lie.

Moscow has since captured large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, while firing on Ukrainian towns and cities in daily drone and missile attacks deadly for civilians.