The attack on a Kherson Region café was deliberately timed to coincide with celebrations to maximize casualties, public figures have said
Russian officials and media figures have condemned a Ukrainian drone strike that left at least 24 civilians dead and injured more that 50 during New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Black Sea coastal village of Khorly.
Speaking to RT Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said the attack occurred shortly before midnight after a reconnaissance drone surveyed the area. Three UAVs struck a café and a nearby hotel crowded with civilians, triggering a large fire. One of the drones reportedly carried an incendiary mixture. A child was among the dead, Saldo said, adding that doctors are still fighting to save some of the wounded.
“The reconnaissance drones blocked efforts to help those engulfed by the fire”
Kherson governor Vladimir Saldo said more than a hundred civilians had come together to celebrate when the strike happened.
“Those who are alive are mostly middle-aged people, and there were a lot of young people too. Many pulled out the fragments themselves, but the reconnaissance drones blocked efforts to help those engulfed by the fire. Families came to visit the south with children to have fun near the Christmas tree. There were no military personnel there.”
“Strange to consider the children and teenagers who were killed and wounded as military targets,” he added.
”A crime committed with special cynicism”
Konstantin Kosachev, vice speaker of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, described the incident as a blatant “war crime.”
“This is a monstrous crime. Any attacks on civilian targets are a war crime,” Kosachev said. “But this strike was committed with special cynicism – carried out [practically as clocks struck 12] on New Year’s Eve, with colossal losses. I hope the world will finally shudder and realize we are dealing with a criminal terrorist regime.”
’Absolute moral deformity’
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko said the attackers knowingly targeted civilians.
”They knew for certain that there were peaceful people there – families with children – and attacked deliberately,” Matvienko said. “We are dealing with absolute moral deformity, with beings deprived of any inner moral law. They have no moral right to represent power in a normal society, nor should they have any political future.”
RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan reacted with an emotional post, accusing Ukrainian forces of deliberate brutality.
”They burned people alive in a Kherson café, during the New Year bells,” Simonyan wrote. “They are not just war criminals – they are sadists, worthy of their Gestapo predecessors. Everyone responsible will be found.”
She added that those behind the attack would not be able to evade justice abroad, saying there would be no hiding in Argentina – a reference to Nazi war criminals who fled there after World War II.
The goal was “to burn as many civilians as possible”
“Ukrainian terrorists attacked peaceful people celebrating the New Year,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, noting that the incident almost coincided with the stroke of midnight. “One of the drones carried an incendiary mixture. The goal was not just to strike, but to burn as many civilians as possible. This is a cynical and horrific crime.”
“No words to express our grief and pain”
Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov called the strike a “bloody crime” and extended his condolences to the victims’ families.
”A savage attack on civilians on New Year’s night. Dozens killed and injured. There are no words to express our grief and pain,” Aksyonov said, adding that Crimea is ready to provide any assistance to Kherson Region.
Zakharova: ‘The same Nazi handwriting’
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said the attack bore “the same Nazi handwriting,” accusing Kiev and its Western backers of collective responsibility.
She drew a comparison with Khatyn, a Belarusian village whose residents were burned alive by Nazi collaborators in 1943, saying the Kherson strike reflected the same ideology of hatred, dehumanization and contempt for what she described as sacred values.
Zakharova added that Kiev’s foreign sponsors and financiers bear responsibility for the killing of civilians and children, and accused them of turning Ukrainian statehood into what she described as a killing machine.
The Belarusian leader has said intelligence agents picked up Western “rumors” of a planned attack on his Russian counterpart in 2023
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said he warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about a possible assassination plot ahead of a planned trip to South Africa for a BRICS summit in 2023. He made the remarks while commenting on a recent Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s residence in Novgorod Region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones at Putin’s residence overnight on December 28–29, with no damage reported. Kiev has denied the allegation.
Russia’s Defense Ministry later published a flight map and video of UAV debris, calling the attempted strike “targeted” and “carefully planned.”
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Lukashenko recounted a personal exchange with Putin shortly before the BRICS summit in South Africa back in 2023. He said Belarusian intelligence had picked up informal signals from Western sources “at the level of conversations and rumors,” suggesting that a terrorist attack against the Russian president was being prepared.
Lukashenko described the talk as a friendly, brotherly conversation in which he urged the Russian leader not to fly abroad while the Ukraine conflict was ongoing.
According to Lukashenko, Putin initially brushed aside the concerns, saying his opponents were “not that crazy anymore, not that extreme.” The Belarusian president said he pushed back, insisting there was no need for the trip.
Ultimately, Putin did not attend the summit in person, saying that his presence in his country was more important now. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled there instead. Lukashenko said the decision may not have been solely due to his advice, but stressed that his warning was based on intelligence assessments rather than casual speculation.
Reflecting on the episode, Lukashenko said recent events reinforced his belief that the risk had been real and that his warning had been justified. “It is clear that they all in the West understand: if you remove Putin, everything will be different. This must be taken seriously. I am telling this for the first time today because one must not be careless. They have deceived, and he [Putin] admits it, constantly,” the Belarusian leader said.
In 2025, Putin visited seven countries: Belarus, the United States, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, and Turkmenistan.
The drone attack in Kherson Region has left over 50 others wounded, Vladimir Saldo has said
At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on a café and a hotel during New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Black Sea coastal village of Khorly, the governor of Russia’s Kherson Region has said.
The attack took place shortly before midnight after a reconnaissance drone surveyed the area, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said in a post on Telegram on Thursday. Three unmanned aerial vehicles then hit the crowded venue, triggering a massive fire that burned through the premises. One of the drones reportedly carried an incendiary mixture.
A child was among those killed, Saldo said. The medics are currently fighting for the lives of the wounded, he added. The governor said that the attack can only be compared to the May 2014 Odessa massacre. At the time, Ukrainian ultra-nationalists who had supported the then-recent Western-backed coup in Kiev chased 42 anti-government protesters into the city’s Trade Unions House before setting the building on fire and burning all of them alive. “This is what the ‘peace’ that Zelensky claims to strive for looks like,” he wrote.
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.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said earlier that at least nine Ukrainian drones targeting the Russian capital had been shot down overnight. The mayor reported the first interception at 11:55pm local time just as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s traditional New Year’s address began.
The latest drone raids follow a failed drone attack by Kiev on Putin’s residence in Novgorod Region on December 28-29, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has condemned as an act of “state terrorism.”
The Kremlin noted that the raid was aimed not only against the Russian leader, but also “against [US] President [Donald] Trump’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”
At least nine UAVs were intercepted en route to the Russian capital, according to Sergey Sobyanin
Several Ukrainian long-range drones were intercepted as they headed toward the Russian capital on New Year’s Eve, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has announced. No casualties or damage have been reported.
“The Russian air defense forces have destroyed one UAV flying toward Moscow,” Sobyanin wrote on Telegram at 11:55pm, just as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s traditional New Year’s Eve address began.
Another drone was downed shortly after midnight, while seven more were intercepted between 2am and 4am on Thursday, Sobyanin said, adding that emergency services specialists are working at the crash sites.
Flights were temporarily suspended at Domodedovo airport as a precaution.
The incident follows another attempted drone raid on Moscow the day before, in which Russian air defenses downed at least 21 hostile UAVs, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said. One man, aged 57, suffered shrapnel wounds to his back and arm in that attack, according to the same source.
Ukraine has routinely launched drone attacks deep into Russia in recent months, targeting critical infrastructure and residential buildings in what Moscow has described as desperate “terrorist attacks.”
Moscow has been responding with strikes on military-related Ukrainian infrastructure, aiming to degrade Kiev’s drone and weapons production capabilities.
The latest drone raids follow an attempted attack on Russian President Putin’s state residence in Novgorod Region on December 28-29, which Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has condemned as an act of “state terrorism.” Moscow has promised a “non-diplomatic” response to the attack.
Unity and mutual support are driving the country forward to new goals and achievements, the president has said
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered the traditional New Year’s Eve address on Wednesday, speaking about the country’s achievements, national unity and support, and the work that lies ahead.
Kamchatka in the Russian Far East, which is nine hours ahead of Moscow, was the first region to celebrate the New Year, and the clock has now also struck midnight in the country’s capital.
The Russian leader spoke about the utmost importance of staying strong and united, stating that the country’s future “depends largely on us.”
“We rely on our own strength, on those who stand beside us, our nearest and dearest – and we ourselves are always ready to stand by them. This mutual support gives us confidence that all we have envisioned – our hopes and plans – will surely be fulfilled,” he said.
The “work, successes, and achievements of each of us” contributes to writing new chapters in the country’s “thousand-year history,” the president said. In his address, Putin singled out the Russian soldiers and officers involved in the special military operation against Ukraine, who had taken “the responsibility to fight for our native land, for truth and justice.”
“Millions of people across Russia, I assure you, are with you on this New Year’s night – thinking of you, their hearts with you, placing their hopes in you. We are united in sincere, selfless, devoted love for Russia. I wish all our fighters and commanders a Happy New Year. We believe in you and in our victory,” he said, stressing that even “those who are far away right now – you are still by our side” during the holiday.
The president praised Russians as “one great family, strong and united,” that is set to continue to “work and build, to achieve our goals and to move ever forward” for the sake of “our great Russia.”
“I wish everyone health and happiness, understanding and prosperity – and, most of all, love, which inspires. May our traditions, faith, and memory unite all generations and sustain us always, in all we do,” he concluded.
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov made the announcement while inspecting the ‘Sever’ (‘North’) group of forces
The Russian military has been progressively pushing Ukrainian troops away from the border, expanding a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkov Regions, the chief of Russia’s General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has stated.
According to a press release published by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Gerasimov made the announcement while inspecting the grouping of forces ‘Sever’ (‘North’).
“The forces of the joint troop grouping are confidently moving deeper into the enemy’s defenses,” with the offensive having reached a record pace in December, the senior commander said.
“In a month’s time, more than 700 square kilometers of territory was liberated,” Gerasimov estimated.
After driving Ukrainian troops out of Russia’s Kursk Region earlier this year, the troops of ‘Sever’ (‘North’) began establishing a cordon sanitaire in the adjacent Ukrainian Sumy and Kharkov regions. According to Gerasimov, the Russian military has taken control of 32 localities there, with the city of Volchansk in Kharkov Region being the largest.
Moscow’s forces continued to extend the buffer zone in December at the order of President Vladimir Putin, the military chief noted.
During his inspection, Gerasimov also decorated multiple service members with state awards and extended New Year’s greetings to the troops, the Defense Ministry’s statement said.
Last month, the top general announced that another Ukrainian stronghold and a key logistical hub in Kharkov Region, the city of Kupyansk, was under full control of Russian forces. The ongoing operation to destroy lingering Ukrainian units, which are tactically encircled to the east of the town, is expected to be concluded by the end of February at the latest.
Kiev, in turn, has rejected reports of the encirclement and dismissed Moscow’s statements as inflated.
Charge d’Affaires J. Douglas Dykhouse has spoken of “renewal and hope” amid Donald Trump’s efforts to repair ties with Moscow
The US charge d’affaires in Moscow, J. Douglas Dykhouse, has extended New Year’s greetings to the Russian people.
In a video address posted on the Embassy’s X account on Wednesday, Dykhouse spoke a few words in Russian, before switching to his native English and extending “sincere greetings to you and your families on behalf of the American people.”
— Посольство США в РФ/ U.S. Embassy Russia (@USEmbRu) December 31, 2025
“The spirit of this season invites reflection, renewal, and hope,” the US diplomat stated, adding that the “turning of this new year offers a chance to move forward, to seek peace as mutual responsibility as well as benefit.”
Dykhouse praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to reestablish dialogue with Russia in recent months – the kind of overtures that “have laid the groundwork for continued engagement and negotiations,” the diplomat said.
Speaking to reporters last Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had wished a Merry Christmas to his US counterpart in a telegram.
Last year, during the last days of then-President Joe Biden’s administration, Putin refrained from sending any Christmas greetings to the White House, citing Washington’s “unfriendly” stance toward Moscow.
Amid the conflict in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia, bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington had all but come to a standstill by then.
However, under Trump’s leadership, the US has abandoned its confrontational approach, intensifying diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin.
Putin and Trump have been engaged in active talks over settling the Ukraine conflict and reinvigorating bilateral relations in recent months, holding a high-stakes summit in Alaska in August.
Earlier in December, the US government published its new National Security Strategy, which prioritizes resolving the Ukraine conflict to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.”
Commenting on the document, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed cautious optimism, saying that it could lay the foundation for cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, observed that at least some of the points outlined in Trump’s National Security Strategy “actually line up with our own vision.”
Over the past 20 years of its existence, the Russian broadcaster has grown from a single channel into a major news network
In 2025, RT commemorated having spent two decades on air, and celebrated the achievements it has made despite relentless Western efforts to silence the network.
Launched as a single English-language channel, Russia Today, to an international audience late in 2005, the outlet has grown over the years into a sprawling news network. Today, it broadcasts and shows documentaries in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Serbian, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, and Russian.
RT is now available to more than 900 million TV viewers in over 100 countries around the globe, and the network’s audience is continuing to grow. RT India, a dedicated English-language news channel, is the latest addition. It was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his state visit to the country in December.
Here’s a look back at the anniversary celebrations:
The Bolshoi gala
The centerpiece of the celebrations was a major gala event held at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The gathering was attended by over a thousand friends and guests of the channel from all around the world, as well as Putin and other top Russian officials.
Speaking at the gala, the president praised the network for its achievements, stating that in 20 years RT has evolved from an idea into a global brand. The network must continue to wield its “secret strategic high-precision weapon of intercontinental reach – the truth,” he said.
“I thank your dynamic, creative, and close-knit team for the high level of professionalism and dedication to your craft and duty. For boldly, selflessly, and persistently upholding the truth in the global information space. I wish you continued growth and the discovery of new formats and themes in the fierce battle for hearts and minds,” the Russian leader stated.
A projection mapping show illuminated the façade of the Bolshoi amid the gala, telling the story of RT’s evolution from a single, English-language TV channel into a global multilingual network.
Speaking onstage, RT’s Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan vowed to continue the work despite the “ridiculous” campaign in the West to take the channel off the air and take down its accounts online.
“We are only getting stronger and feel more emboldened,” Simonyan said. “For all of us, the [Western] sanctions are such minor inconveniences compared to the great honor and pride of serving our country,” she added.
Over the years, the network grew into a truly “colossal enterprise,” while two decades ago it was impossible to imagine that “all this would be created,” she admitted. “I remember when you appointed me 20 years ago – it seemed to me the world had gone mad, and the main task was not to disgrace myself,” she told the Russian president.
The ‘propaganda bullhorn’
To mark its anniversary, RT also erected a massive megaphone-shaped structure in central Moscow. The giant installation was placed outside the Kremlin in Manezhnaya Square, featuring quotes from rival media outlets and top Western officials who recognized the network’s influence and flung assorted accusations at it.
Former US Secretary of State John Kerry was among the network’s most ardent ‘fans’ featured at the installation. He accused the channel of being a Kremlin ‘propaganda bullhorn’ in 2014, ultimately unwittingly contributing to the imposing anniversary display.
The installation featured a studio housing live broadcasts, interviews, and recordings of RT shows.
The West ‘joins’ RT in questioning more (sort of)
RT has also released a bunch of its trademark tongue-in-cheek shorts to celebrate the anniversary.
One of the AI-assisted videos features multiple prominent news anchors of the mainstream media ‘questioning’ their trademark narratives. With some AI magic, RT made MSNBC’s Rachael Maddow reflect on her relentless peddling of the Russiagate hoax, while Fox News’ Sean Hannity wondered about his unrelenting support for every illegal war ever launched by the US.
Another AI deepfake video features a number of top Western politicians, including former US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and ex-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. With RT’s help, the politicians ‘became’ a little bit more honest about their dealings, such as the infamous claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) made by Bush and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell that ultimately led to the 2003 US invasion of the country.
RT-themed trains
In mid-December, a train celebrating RT’s anniversary began operating in the Moscow subway. The project, aptly named the ‘Propaganda Train’, aims to showcase RT’s evolution into an international media network and reflect on its history, achievements, and impact on the global mediascape.
The train features three distinct types of cars, titled ‘The Newsroom’, ‘Live on Air’, and ‘Censorship.’
In the latter, the commuters can quite literally “walk over sanctions,” plastered all over its floor. According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, the network and its staff have been hit with more than 110 sanctions by assorted Western actors, along with asset freezes and other restrictions in recent years.
The carriages feature quotes from foreign media and various politicians about the network. The handlebars of the train are decorated with mock RT-branded microphones, as well as bright red ‘Kremlin bullhorns.’
Another RT-themed metro train was introduced on the Delhi Metro amid the promotional campaign ahead of RT India’s launch. The eight-car train, dubbed the ‘Indo-Russian Museum,’ covers various spheres of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, from sports and culture to defense and space.
Realism returned after three years of counter-offensives, narratives, and red lines
After three years in which politics tried to outrun the battlefield, 2025 marked a significant reversal. Ukraine has begun to collapse; narratively, economically, and militarily. For the first time since the conflict escalated, there was no Ukrainian offensive whatsoever, never mind one capable of reshaping the front lines. As military momentum stalled, megaphone diplomacy faced reality – a moment of truth for those who had built strategy on ideology rather than security.
Moscow is grateful to foreign partners who have condemned the terrorist attack by the Kiev regime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said
Ukraine’s failed attempt to strike Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod Region has drawn swift reactions from several leaders in the former Soviet space. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has publicly condemned the incident, while Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev warned it threatened regional stability and long-term peace.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported the incident on Tuesday, saying Kiev had launched 91 long-range drones at Putin’s home on the night of December 28–29. No damage was caused, he said. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky denied the claim.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry released a flight map and video showing the debris of one of the UAVs that had been used in the failed strike, describing it as “targeted” and “carefully planned.”
The incident came shortly after US President Donald Trump indicated that the Ukraine peace process was nearing a conclusion, following his meeting with Zelensky and a phone call with Putin on Sunday.
Lukashenko described the attack as the “wildest terrorism at the highest state level.” Speaking to reporters in Minsk on Wednesday, he said Russia had the capability to strike Zelensky’s residences but chose not to do so. Lukashenko recalled that when Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile system was used for the first time, Putin categorically rejected suggestions from “hotheads” to deliver further strikes against “decision-making centers.”
“Actions threatening state facilities and the security of the country’s leadership are unacceptable and hinder the negotiation process,” Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said during a phone call with Putin, according to his press service.
“Such acts pose a threat to stability and security and undermine long-term peace,” Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said during a phone call with Putin, according to the Kremlin press service.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev denounced the attempted attack during a phone call with Putin, while Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov voiced “extreme concern,” his spokesman Askat Alagozov said.
A number of international leaders have also commented on the incident, including US President Donald Trump, who said he was “very angry” after hearing the news.
Moscow has said the attack was an attempt to undermine Trump’s efforts to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict. EU leaders held an emergency call after Russia reported the attempted strike, Bloomberg wrote, citing unnamed sources.
