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.

The Ukrainian ​capital Kyiv came under a massive Russian attack early on Saturday (December 27, 2025), with explosions sounding in the city, air defences ​in operation and ⁠the Ukrainian military saying missiles were being deployed.

The Russian ​action took ⁠place two days before a meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says ‌he is due ‌to hold in the United States with ‍President Donald Trump to work out details of ‍an accord for settling the nearly four-year-old war pitting Russia against Ukraine.

Reuters eyewitnesses said air defences were in action in ⁠the city and unofficial Telegram channels reported ​explosions.

A military Telegram channel ⁠said cruise and ballistic missiles were being deployed in the city.

Ukraine’s military said on Friday (December 12, 2025) it attacked a major Russian oil refinery in Yaroslavl, north-east of Moscow, and industry sources said the facility had suspended output.

Ukraine and Russia have been attacking each other’s energy facilities as peace talks have failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the nearly four-year-old war.

“Units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces have struck the capacity of the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region,” the Ukrainian military’s General Staff wrote on Facebook. “Explosions and a large fire were recorded in the area of ​​the target. The extent of the damage is being determined.”

The industry sources said Ukrainian drones damaged a primary processing unit and a loading rack at the refinery, Russia’s fourth largest. Output had been suspended, they said.

Slavneft-YANOS, located some 250 km (155 miles) north-east of Moscow, has an oil processing capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, or 15 million metric tons per year.

The damaged CDU-4 processing unit accounts for around a third of the plant’s production capacity.

The company’s press service did not reply to a request for comment.

Last year, it produced 2.6 million tons of gasoline, 4 million tons of diesel and 4.7 million tons of fuel oil, according to industry sources.

Several regions in southern and western Russia issued warnings about possible drone attacks, and four southern airports suspended operations over safety concerns early on Tuesday.

Temporary restrictions at the airports in Vladikavkaz, Grozny and Magas affected arriving and departing flights, the Russian air transport agency Rosaviatsia said.

Another southern town, Mozdok, home to a military airfield, also closed its airspace, North Ossetia Governor Sergei Menyailo posted in his channel on the Telegram messaging platform.

The leaders of three Russian regions — Voronezh, North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria — said they faced threats of drone attacks.

Residents should take cover inside and stay away from windows, Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said. They might also experience slower phone and internet connections, the regional officials added.

Ukraine is working to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia that could bring home 1,200 Ukrainian prisoners, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday (November 16, 2025), a day after his national security chief announced progress in negotiations.

“We are … counting on the resumption of POW exchanges,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Many meetings, negotiations and calls are currently taking place to ensure this.”

Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said Saturday he held consultations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on resuming exchanges.

He said the parties agreed to activate prisoner exchange agreements brokered in Istanbul to release 1,200 Ukrainians. Moscow did not immediately comment on the claim.

The Istanbul agreements refer to prisoner-exchange protocols established with Turkish mediation in 2022 that set rules for large, coordinated swaps. Since then, Russia and Ukraine have traded thousands of prisoners, though exchanges have been sporadic.

Mr. Umerov said technical consultations would be held soon to finalise procedural and organisational details, expressing hope that returning Ukrainians could “celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home — at the family table and next to their relatives.”

In other developments, energy infrastructure was damaged by Russian drone strikes overnight into Sunday in Ukraine’s Odesa region, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. A solar power plant was among the damaged sites.

Ukraine is desperately trying to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across Ukraine on the brink of winter.

Combined missile and drone strikes on the power grid have coincided with Ukraine’s efforts to hold back a Russian battlefield push aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.

Russia fired a total of 176 drones and one missile overnight, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down or neutralized 139 drones.

Russia’s defense ministry said Sunday that its forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight.