Zelensky says Russia 'brings war into the New Year' with fresh strikes on Ukraine

• Zelensky says Russia carries war into the New Year, firing over 200 drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

• Russian-installed authorities claim a Ukrainian drone strike killed at least 20 people in the occupied Kherson region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia had carried its nearly four-year war into the New Year, launching more than 200 drones overnight in an attack largely targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“Russia deliberately brings war into the New Year, launching more than two hundred attack drones against Ukraine overnight,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media, adding that the primary targets were energy facilities.

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The large-scale drone assault comes as Ukraine continues to face sustained pressure on its power grid, which has been repeatedly targeted since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Russian-installed authorities accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out a deadly drone strike in the southern Kherson region, which is partially occupied by Russia. Moscow-appointed governor Vladimir Saldo said three unmanned aerial vehicles hit a café and hotel in the coastal town of Khorly.

“According to preliminary information, more than 50 people were injured and 24 people were killed,” Saldo said in a post on Telegram.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal investigation into the incident, stating that more than 20 people were killed and many others wounded.

The claims could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials have not immediately commented on the reported strike in the Russian-held area.