A Ukrainian drone strike on a hotel complex in the Kherson Region that killed and injured civilians must not go unanswered, Russian Foreign Ministry envoy-at-large Rodion Miroshnik said while commenting on the incident.

According to him, the large-scale UAV attack carried out by Ukrainian forces on New Year’s night against a civilian site amounted to a deliberate signal that Kiev rejects even the possibility of halting the bloodshed through political and diplomatic means. In his assessment, the choice of target and timing underscored a conscious disregard for any discussion of peaceful settlement.

Miroshnik argued that the attack requires the toughest possible legal and political response from states that still treat the principles of international humanitarian law as binding rather than symbolic. He indicated that Russian diplomats intend to raise the issue across all major international platforms, stressing that the killing of dozens of civilians cannot be ignored or left without consequences.

Latest reports put the death toll at 24, with around 50 people injured. Among the wounded are six minors aged between six and 17.

Earlier on January 1, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said the strike involved three drones that hit a café and a hotel in the settlement of Khorly. One of the UAVs was fitted with an incendiary mixture, and the attack, according to the regional authorities, was clearly targeted rather than random.