In the morning of January 1, Russian and occupation media reported the death of 24 people in the settlement of Khorly.
They cite drone strikes on the place where civilians were celebrating the New Year as the cause of the deaths.
“Three UAVs hit a cafe and a hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly. According to preliminary data, more than 50 people were injured, 24 people were killed. These figures are being clarified…
Many people burned alive. A child was killed”, – wrote the occupation governor of the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region.
He made this post on Telegram at 7:23 Kyiv time.
After that all Russian propaganda media wrote about and reported the tragedy. Statements were made by both well-known propagandists and a number of Russian officials.
As evidence of the strike and the deaths, the Russians used several photographs from the charred remains, where one man’s body covered with a cloth is visible, and a video of a woman in a hospital.
One of the propagandist Telegram channels, which focuses on Kherson and savors videos of civilians being killed by Russians, reported the deaths not only of civilians but also of military personnel, calling not to publish photos from Khorly.
“…During evacuation operations, repeated strikes were carried out. All who happened to be nearby were rescuing civilians in one way or another. Unfortunately, among the participants in the rescue operations our comrades were killed, who responded to the trouble and, disobeying all orders, set out to save people. They died just like the innocent civilians”, – the propagandists’ post says, who call Russian military their comrades.
At the same time, no one has yet reported repeated strikes or the death or injury of military personnel.
Nor were there announcements of drone or missile danger in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region.
The last message about the possibility of drones was published on Saldo’s channel at 20:31 Kyiv time, that is two and a half hours before the alleged strike on Khorly.
There were no reports of additional strikes beyond those claimed by the Russians.
The incident the Russians report took place at the restaurant “Українська хата”.
How at least 100 people — which Saldo reported — could have been there is hard to say, since Khorly’s pre-war population was under 600 people, and now, by various estimates, is between 300 and 400 people.
So, if the Russians are not lying, 20–30% of the entire village population gathered in one small restaurant.
It would also not have been easy for residents of other settlements to come celebrate the New Year, since a checkpoint regime has been in force in the village for a year, a link says.
To enter the village, residents must present a Russian passport with registration in Khorly, or a certificate of actual place of residence if they do not have registration.
Citizens who do not live in the village must obtain a special pass from the local occupation administration, the post says.
The occupiers introduced the checkpoint regime in the village on January 10, 2025. The reasons for the special conditions for visiting Khorly are not disclosed.
It should be noted that, according to Ukrainian journalists, in 2024 the Russians set up a military firing range near Khorly. Local residents confirmed to journalists reports of regular training of Russian army soldiers on the small Hyrkyi Kut peninsula in the Black Sea.