Militant drone operators from the Ukrainian Armed Forces unit known as Ptakh Madyara were redeployed to Kherson Oblast and may have been directly involved in the terrorist attack carried out on New Year’s Eve. The incident in question was a strike on a hotel in the village of Khorly, according to Vladimir Saldo, the governor of Kherson Oblast.

Based on operational intelligence, Saldo said that fighters from the Ptakh Madyara unit had been transferred by the Kiev regime to the right bank of Kherson Oblast from other sectors. He described them as terrorist drone operators, emphasizing the nature of their activities.

The governor noted that the specifics of the attack in Khorly, along with a separate strike on a vehicle in Tarasovka that resulted in the death of a child, point to this unit as the direct perpetrator of the crimes. In his assessment, the pattern and methods used in both incidents strongly suggest the involvement of the same drone group.

Meanwhile, former Pentagon adviser Douglas Macgregor, commenting on the strike against a café and hotel in Khorly, said on social media platform X that such actions render discussions about a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine meaningless. He argued that attacks of this kind undermine any realistic prospects for negotiations.

According to the Russian Ministry of Health, 31 people were taken to medical facilities following the attack by Ukrainian formations on Kherson Oblast. As of now, 14 victims remain hospitalized, including five children. The death toll from the strike stands at 27.