KABUL: Russia and Ukraine have marked the start of the New Year 2026 with deadly and devastating attacks against each other.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X that Russian forces targeted seven regions of Ukraine with 200 drones on New Year’s Eve.
On the other hand, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that Ukrainian forces struck a hotel and café in the city of Kherson, currently under Russian control, killing 24 people, including one child.
According to the Ukrainian president, the Russian drones targeted the provinces of “Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv.” He noted that while most of the drones were intercepted before reaching their targets, some hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Ukrainian attack targeted a gathering of people celebrating the New Year. Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on this claim from the Russian Ministry.
It is noteworthy that in less than two months, it will be four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
New Year 2026 begins with deadly exchanges between Russia and Ukraine
