[Fox] Travel risks include wrongful detention, terrorism and arbitrary law enforcement as Russia-Ukraine war escalates
The State Department has renewed its "do not travel" advisory for Russia.
The existing travel advisory was reissued this week without edits, with the State Department citing a myriad of high risks related to terrorism, wrongful detention and "arbitrary enforcement of local laws."
The advisory comes as the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate.
Officials have limited ability to help Americans after the embassy in Moscow reduced its staff and consulates in Russia have suspended operations, the advisory notes.
"U.S. citizens in Russia should leave immediately," it states. "Russian officials often question and threaten U.S. citizens without reason."
The advisory says there is precedent for Russian security services arresting Americans on false charges.
"They have denied them [Americans] fair treatment and convicted them without credible evidence."
Travelers were also told to reconsider bringing electronic devices into the country. It should be assumed that all electronic communications and devices are monitored.
Due to sanctions, American debit and credit cards no longer work in Russia and "sending electronic money transfers from the United States to Russia is nearly impossible," it says.
The alert says tourists who decide to go to Russia should "be ready for the possibility of detention for an unknown amount of time."
"Log out of all social media accounts and do not access your social media accounts while in Russia," the advisory also instructs. "Prepare a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries or power of attorney."
President Putin recently claimed that Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack early Monday against a presidential residence in the Novgorod region, involving 91 long-range drones that were intercepted by Russian air defenses.
Russia’s defense ministry shared footage showing a masked soldier standing next to drone wreckage, saying the wreckage was recovered from the attack.
The U.S. government has issued other travel advisories in recent weeks. As tensions increase between Thailand and Cambodia, for example, the government warned Americans about traveling to the border area of the two countries.
The U.S. Embassy in Thailand issued a security alert to American tourists Dec. 16, warning of an "escalation of armed conflict" at the popular Asian destination.
"U.S. citizens should avoid all travel within 50 kilometers [about 31 miles] of the Thailand-Cambodia border, due to active hostilities and the unpredictable security situation," the alert said.
[ZeroHedge] The U.S. State Department received a request from Russia on New Year's Eve to stop pursuing an oil tanker in the Atlantic Basin linked to a dark-fleet network that ships Venezuelan crude, according to a New York Times report citing sources familiar with the matter.
Late Wednesday evening, the State Department and the White House's Homeland Security Council received a request from Russia to halt the pursuit of the Bella-1 tanker, which is now flying a Russian flag after the crew painted it on the hull.
Bella-1 has evaded U.S. Coast Guard boarding attempts for 10 days after refusing to comply with an interception order near Venezuela on December 21. The crux of the issue is that the Trump administration views the tanker as "stateless" because it was flying a false flag when the Coast Guard first approached it.
The New York Times noted:
In the days since, the ship has tried to claim the protection of Russia, with its crew painting a Russian flag on the side and radioing the Coast Guard to say they were sailing under Russian authority. The Bella-1 recently appeared in Russia's official register of ships, under a new name, the Marinera, with a home port of Sochi on the Black Sea.
. . .
Although securing Russian protection may be a long shot for Bella-1 under international law, Russia's diplomatic intervention could complicate the U.S. effort to seize the tanker, which stems from an ongoing conflict with Venezuela. David Tannenbaum, a former sanctions compliance officer at the Treasury Department, said earlier this week that it was "unclear" whether Russia's provision of "overnight flag registration" to the ship would prove valid.
More color on the situation from maritime expert Sal Mercogliano:
Bella 1 used the exception in Art 92 to re-register.
The renamed Marinera went under the Russian registry and did this while in international waters.
However, it appears that she is now classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (she was previously under Lloyds)… https://t.co/jyvFOGkadK pic.twitter.com/BbAhRuE8bh
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️ (@mercoglianos) January 1, 2026
Russia's request that the Coast Guard stop chasing Bella-1 in the Atlantic Basin certainly adds another dimension to peace deal negotiations in the four-year-long war in Ukraine. It also complicates President Trump’s gunboat diplomacy aimed at toppling the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.21 Russian troops struck a hospital in the city of Semenivka, Chernihiv region, with three drones in the evening. This was reported by the head of the Novogorod-Siverskyi district military administration, Oleksandr Seliverstov.
Information about the victims and the extent of the damage is currently being clarified.
21.54 For the entire year 2025, Russia occupied 4336 sq km of Ukrainian territory, which is approximately 0.72% of the entire territory of Ukraine. The corresponding calculations were published by the DeepState project .
Analysts noted that compared to previous years, 2025 was truly difficult for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
The situation with the occupation by region is as follows:
21.29 On the night of January 1, units of the Special Operations Forces carried out successful strikes on Russian military facilities in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region.
Thus, long-range SSR drones destroyed the command post of the assault detachment of the 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation. The command post was located in the city of Avdiivka.
It will be noted that all the Special Operations Forces' means of destruction achieved their objectives.
20:33 Russia has launched another wave of drone strikes on Odessa, Ukraine's key Black Sea port and important trade hub. The attack came a day before President Volodymyr Zelensky argued for continued U.S. support for Ukraine at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend, the WSJ reported.
Throughout December, Russian strikes targeted Odessa, Ukraine’s main grain export hub and economic lifeline. The attacks damaged infrastructure, storage facilities, reservoirs, and power grids. The shelling also killed and injured dozens of people.
19:41 Russian troops struck a high-rise building in Semenivka, Chernihiv region, with a drone. This was reported by the head of the Novgorod-Siverskyi district military administration, Alexander Seliverstov.
"Semenivka. Since lunchtime, the enemy has been attacking the city with FPV drones and Molniya-type strike UAVs," Seliverstov noted.
At least four hits were recorded.
16.46 The irretrievable and medical losses of the Russian occupation forces during 2025 amounted to more than 418,000 soldiers, which is equal to the number of almost 35 divisions. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense, citing data from the General Staff.
Every day in 2025, Russia lost an average of 1,145 soldiers.
As noted, the enemy suffered the largest personnel losses in 2025 in January - 48,240 soldiers.
15.57 Russian troops will shell Kharkiv 728 times in 2025. This was announced by the city's mayor, Igor Terekhov.
"Injured: 973 people, including 106 children. Died: 41 people, including 3 children," Terekhov noted.
On March 15, the Main Intelligence Directorate announced that the "murder" of the RDK commander Denis Nikitin was faked by the special services to identify those who ordered his liquidation.
The Russian Federation allocated half a million dollars for its liquidation.
As noted, the assassination of the commander of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" unit , which is fighting against Moscow as part of the "Timur Special Unit" of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, was ordered by the special services of the aggressor state of the Russian Federation.
Thus, as a result of a complex special operation by the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which lasted for over a month, the life of the commander of the RDK, whom Vladimir Putin considers a personal enemy, was saved, and a circle of individuals - the perpetrators of the crime in the Russian special services and the perpetrators - was also identified.
14.55 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the New Year's attack by the Russian Federation and stated that in a situation where Russian strikes do not stop even on New Year's holidays, air defense supplies cannot be delayed.
"In the new year, Russia is waging war purposefully: more than 200 attack drones were launched against Ukraine this night. Most of them were shot down, and I thank all our soldiers who repelled this attack. They struck in Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv regions. The targets are our energy sector," he noted.
14.20 Russian occupiers attacked the railway infrastructure of Ukraine, damaging the locomotive depot, freight cars and other logistics facilities. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba on January 1. According to him, the buildings of the locomotive depot in Kovel were damaged, and about seven hits by enemy drones were recorded in the territory. The Russian army also attacked the station in Konotop, where freight cars were hit.
13.46 On the first day of the new year, Russian troops carried out a drone attack on the port infrastructure of Ukraine. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba. According to him, port berths and equipment were damaged in the Izmail port. In the Odessa port, fragments of enemy drones and a blast wave hit port equipment, vehicles and individual infrastructure facilities
13.21 Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation and a number of other important Russian facilities on the night of January 1. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is noted that a strike UAV hit the refinery with a subsequent fire on the territory of the facility was recorded. The Almetyevsk oil preparation facility in the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation was also hit by fire. The target was hit, the results are being specified. In addition, the Defense Forces inflicted fire damage on enemy targets in the temporarily captured territory of the Donetsk region.
12.51 Two more Patriot air defense systems have been put on combat duty in Ukraine. The press service of the Ministry of Defense reported this on January 1.
12.13 On New Year's Eve, Russian troops struck a residential area of the city of Novgorod-Siverskyi, Chernihiv region, with a drone, and during the day - on the territory of an energy facility in the Koryukiv district. This was reported by the head of the Chernihiv Oblast Regional Administration, Vyacheslav Chaus.
11.50 In Ukraine, as of the morning of January 1, as a result of another massive Russian attack, a significant number of consumers in the Odessa and Volyn regions were left without electricity; there are also new power outages in the Chernihiv region. This was reported by NPC Ukrenergo.
10.53 On the front line over the past 24 hours, 131 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian invaders were recorded. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on January 1. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck two areas of concentration of personnel and a Russian UAV control point.
9.56 In Kharkiv region on December 31, two people were injured as a result of enemy attacks, in Sumy region - one man. This was reported by the head of Kharkiv OVA Oleg Synegubov and Sumy OVA. In Kharkiv region, a 76-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman were injured. In Sumy region, a 25-year-old man was injured in a UAV attack in Boromlyanska community.
9.35 Air defense forces neutralized 176 of the 205 drones used by the Russians to attack Ukraine. 24 strike UAVs were recorded hitting 15 locations.
8.55 Russian occupiers continued attacks on Nikopol region in the evening and at night. This was reported by the acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Vladislav Gaivanenko on January 1. According to him, the district center, Pokrovska, Myrivska, Marhanetska, Chervonogryhorivska communities were under attack by the Russians. The enemy used FPV drones and artillery. 4 private houses, 2 outbuildings, a car, 12 solar panels, and gas pipelines were damaged.
8.42 Russian drones attacked Volyn all night, there are hits on critical infrastructure facilities, in the area of power outages. This was reported by the head of the Volyn OVA Ivan Rudnytsky on January 1. According to him, some of the "shaheeds" were shot down. At the same time, there are also hits, as a result of which fires broke out, the extinguishing of which is ongoing. In particular, in Lutsk and Kovel districts. According to Volynyoblenergo, 103,341 subscribers have currently been disconnected.
7.50 The Defense Forces neutralized 1,060 Russian occupiers in a day. The General Staff of the Armed Forces reported this on January 1. The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 01.01.26 were approximately 1,208,970 people.
02.21 A few minutes before the New Year, the Russians struck again at the energy infrastructure of the Odessa region. The enemy targeted objects important for the civilian population with drones. A fire broke out at one of them.
01.49 Drones attacked an oil refinery for the first time in 2026. The Ilsky refinery, located in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation, was hit. A fire also broke out at an oil depot in the Kaluga Region after the attack.
00.52 Ukraine did not attack Russian leader Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in a recent drone strike, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, December 31, citing an official familiar with U.S. National Security and CIA data.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 16:57 FPV drone crews of the Eastern Forces Group destroyed hexacopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Drone operators from the Northern group of forces disrupted the rotation of enemy units in the Sumy region.
UAV operators from the Center group of forces destroyed equipment and personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Grishino.
Drone crews from the Ulyanovsk Airborne Assault Unit destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces positions containing personnel, UAV control centers, and enemy equipment near the village of Lukyanivske in the Zaporizhzhia region.
16:24 In the period from 8:00 to 16:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 58 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type:
24 over the territory of the Belgorod region,
13 over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
10 over the waters of the Sea of Azov,
Five over the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan,
Three over the territory of the Krasnodar region,
One over the territory of the Kursk region,
One over the territory of the Lipetsk region,
One over the territory of the Rostov region.
16:11 Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the Volchansk farmsteads and in the forest near Liman,MAP.
16:08 Defeat of an air defense missile system with personnel of the 159th Separate Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by three FAB-500 in the area of the village of Kolodeznoye, –video.
14:55 During a special technical examination of the navigation system unit of one of the Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, which was hit on the night of December 29, 2025, in the airspace of the Novgorod region, representatives of the Russian special services managed to extract the file loaded into it containing the flight mission.
Deciphering the routing data revealed that the final target of the Ukrainian drone attack on December 29, 2025, was one of the facilities at the Russian President's residence in the Novgorod region.
These materials will be made available through established channels. transferred to the American side.
14:10 Two pickup trucks with Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry were destroyed by drones of the Russian Armed Forces,video.
13:31 Russian Armed Forces advanced to Zalizniny west of Hulyaipole, MAP.
12:34 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of January 1, 2026. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct the special military operation:
Units of the North group of forces improved their tactical position, defeating formations of two mechanized brigades, a Jaeger brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kondratovka, Khrapovshchina, Novaya Sich, Khotyn, and Ryzhevka in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of two motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Vovchanskie Khutora and Liman in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 190 servicemen, 11 vehicles, an electronic warfare station, and two supply depots.
Units of the "West" group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized and assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two brigades of the National Guard in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, Podoli, Glushkovka in the Khar'kov region, and Drobyshevo, Krasny Liman, and Illichivka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
In the Kupyansk direction, units of the 6th Army repelled two attacks by units of the 92nd Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of Nechvolodovka and Blagodatovka, aiming to break through to the city of Kupyansk in the Khar'kov region. Up to 15 militants and two pickup trucks were destroyed.
In total, enemy losses in the West Group's area of responsibility amounted to 210 servicemen, a tank, a US-made MaxxPro armored fighting vehicle, 16 vehicles, and four field artillery pieces. Four ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces occupied more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade near the settlements of Zakotnoye, Bondarnoye, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka, Reznikovka, Nikolaevka, and Berestok in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 190 service members, three armored combat vehicles, including a US-made MaxxPro armored car, ten vehicles, and four artillery pieces. An electronic warfare station and two supply depots were destroyed.
Units of the Center Forces Group improved their position along the forward edge. They defeated the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, an assault brigade, two airborne assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, a territorial defense brigade, and three National Guard brigades near the settlements of Volne, Novokrivorozh'e, Sergeyevka, Krasnoyarskoye, Kutuzovka, Shevchenko, Novy Donbas, and Toretskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Gavrilovka and Novopavlovka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The enemy's losses amounted to 470 servicemen, an armored personnel carrier, an armored combat vehicle, eight cars, two field artillery pieces, and a US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery station.
Units of the "East" force group continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. They inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of a mechanized and assault brigade, as well as three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, near the settlements of Dorozhnianka, Verkhnyaya Tersa, Zaliznychne, and Ternovatoye in the Zaporizhia region, and Bratskoye and Velykomykhailivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 220 servicemen, a tank, two armored personnel carriers, an armored combat vehicle, and six vehicles.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Belogorie, Orekhov in the Zaporizhzhia region, Antonovka, Yantarne and Sadovoe in the Kherson region.
Up to 55 Ukrainian servicemen, 15 vehicles, two artillery pieces, an Israeli-made RADA radar station, and three electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
12:10 Northerners identified and destroyed an M-101 howitzer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region,video.
10:04 Artillerymen of the Eastern Group of Forces destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces strongholds in the village of Ternovatoe.
07:30 Changes on map over the past 24 hours:
Advance in Andreevka
07:24 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 168 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
61 over the Bryansk region,
25 over the Krasnodar region,
24 over the waters of the Sea of Azov,
23 over the Tula region,
16 over the Republic of Crimea,
12 over the Moscow region,
Seven over the Kaluga region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Vasily Fedorov
[REGNUM] The first hours of 2026 turned into a terrible tragedy for residents of the Kherson region.
On the night the entire country made wishes as the chimes of midnight struck midnight, three Ukrainian drones descended on the coastal village of Khorly, where people had gathered in a small cafe and hotel on the Black Sea shore to celebrate the New Year.
The result of this attack was dozens of deaths, including children, the ruined lives of survivors, and a period of mourning declared in the region for two days.
This tragedy is a painful reminder of the events of two years ago—the pre-New Year's strike on Belgorod in late 2023, when Ukrainian missiles carrying cluster munitions rained down on the city's central square. Twenty-five people died, five of them children.
Two years later, the Kyiv regime is once again targeting holidays and civilians for its attacks. This is no accident or mistake—it's systematic.
Moreover, the transition to a policy of state terrorism, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the attempted raids on the presidential residence on December 29, appears to have been definitively chosen by Kiev as its main line of conduct.
On New Year's Eve, a flight mission file was retrieved from a downed Ukrainian drone—and once again, the target was listed as one of Vladimir Putin's residences in the Novgorod region.
A TARGETED ATTACK ON CIVILIANS
The attack on Khorly was planned with particular brutality. According to Kherson Oblast Governor Volodymyr Saldo, a reconnaissance drone appeared over the village before the strike—Ukrainian Armed Forces operators wanted to ensure that enough people had gathered at the designated location. They did.
And they directed three drones at a cafe and a hotel where local residents and visitors were celebrating the New Year.
One of the drones was loaded with an incendiary compound. The fire that erupted after the strike was so intense that it was only extinguished in the early morning. Many of the victims were burned alive—rescuers simply couldn't reach them through the wall of flames.
According to the latest reports, the death toll has exceeded 24 and continues to rise as the rubble is cleared. A child is among the victims. More than 50 people were injured, five of them children.
At the time of publication, 13 injured people were being treated in hospitals in the Kherson region and Crimea. Doctors are assessing the condition of six of them, including two minors, as serious. The four most seriously ill patients were evacuated to medical facilities in Crimea.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under the article on terrorist attacks.
BELGOROD 2023: SAME STYLE, SAME CRUELTY
The tragedy in Khorly inevitably brings us back to the events of December 30, 2023, when Ukrainian forces launched a massive missile attack on the center of Belgorod.
The target was Cathedral Square, the heart of the city and always bustling with people during the pre-New Year period. The Ukrainian Armed Forces used Vilkha cluster munition missiles and Vampire projectiles—weapons specifically designed to engage enemy personnel in open terrain.
The attack was catastrophic: 25 dead, including five children, and over 100 injured. Dozens of buildings—residential buildings, shopping centers, and public facilities—were damaged. Cars caught fire, and gas and water supplies to entire neighborhoods were disrupted.
One of the victims of the Belgorod tragedy, a four-year-old girl, died on New Year's Eve, January 1, 2024. Doctors fought to the last to save her life, but her injuries were too severe. Evacuating the child to Moscow hospitals was impossible due to her critical condition.
Russian President Vladimir Putin then called the attack on Belgorod a terrorist act and stated that this crime would not go unpunished.
At the same time, the head of state emphasized a fundamental difference in approaches: Russia does not launch attacks on areas, as Ukrainian troops do, but continues to destroy specific enemy military facilities.
A year later, on December 30, 2024, a memorial service for the victims was held in Belgorod. Residents gathered at the site of the makeshift memorial near the "Heart of Belgorod" to honor the memory of the victims.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in his address: "December 30th will forever remain in our hearts. Exactly one year ago, our lives were divided into before and after."
Now the same line for residents of the Kherson region has become January 1, 2026.
HATRED AS A STATE POLICY
What unites these tragedies—beyond the New Year's celebrations and the civilian casualties? The systemic nature of the terror, elevated by the Kyiv regime to the level of state policy.
Regnum News Agency editor-in-chief Marina Akhmedova, commenting on the tragedy in Khorly, drew attention to a crucial aspect of what is happening:
"Ukraine hates its former compatriots who chose not Ukraine more than Russians. Even if they didn't choose anything but simply succumbed to circumstances, Ukraine still hates them and takes revenge on them."
The point is that for the Kyiv regime, the residents of these territories are enemies by definition. "We shouldn't be surprised that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are so cruel to the civilian population of the frontline, " Akhmedova notes. " Even if they find themselves on the Russian side against their will, they are still hated and will be punished."
This hatred has long since taken the form of methodical terror. Strikes are carried out not on military targets, but on places where large numbers of people gather—markets, squares, cafes.
Dates are chosen when people are especially vulnerable and defenseless—holidays, weekends. Weapons designed for maximum casualty impact—cluster munitions, incendiary mixtures—are used.
Governor Saldo compared today's crime to the tragedy at the Odessa Trade Union House on May 2, 2014, when Ukrainian nationalists burned dozens of people alive.
Both then and now, murders are committed with particular cruelty, using firearms. Both then and now, criminals count on impunity.
An UNPRECEDENTED SCALE OF TERROR
January 2 and 3 have been declared days of mourning in the Kherson region. The region mourns with the families of the victims. All victims are receiving the necessary assistance—medical, financial, and psychological.
The list of the dead will soon be published on the governor's website—behind each line is a person who simply wanted to celebrate the New Year with their loved ones.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the attack on Khorly planned and targeted, placing responsibility for the deaths not only on the direct perpetrators but also on the Western sponsors of the Kiev regime.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko described the incident as a "moral abomination." Senators unanimously called the attack a monstrous crime.
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin stated that the blood of the innocent victims is on the hands of Zelensky and his European sponsors.
The Governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balitsky, expressed his condolences to the residents of the Kherson region.
Words of support are coming from across the country—the tragedy in Khorly is perceived as a shared pain, a blow to all of Russia.
THE REASON FOR THE EXACERBATION
The tragedy in Khorly is not an isolated incident, but part of a large-scale terrorist campaign that the Kyiv regime has been unleashing in the final days of the outgoing year.
It is significant that the attack on the cafe where people were celebrating the New Year occurred during Russian President Vladimir Putin's New Year's address.
According to Governor Saldo, the first reconnaissance drone appeared over Khorly shortly before midnight—Ukrainian Armed Forces operators chose the moment when the entire country's attention was riveted on television screens.
But an ordinary cafe was not the only target of the New Year's raid.
On January 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the results of a technical examination of one of the downed drones. Specialists were able to extract a flight mission file from the navigation unit. A decryption of the routing data confirmed that the attack's final target was a facility at the presidential residence in the Novgorod region.
As a reminder, just a few days earlier, on the night of December 28-29, the Ukrainians launched an unprecedented attack on Vladimir Putin's state residence. Ninety-one long-range drones were used in the strike.
The strike was harshly criticized by both Russia-friendly states and US President Donald Trump. Ukraine found itself under intense diplomatic pressure.
On New Year's Eve, when people died in Khorly, Russian air defenses repelled an attack by 168 Ukrainian drones. About 10 drones were targeting Moscow. The Bryansk, Tula, and Kaluga regions, the Krasnodar Territory, and Crimea were attacked.
Why did the Kyiv regime need to escalate now? The answer is obvious: the situation on the front lines for the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to deteriorate. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian troops demonstrated record-breaking advancement in December.
By 2025, more than 4,700 square kilometers of territory had been liberated. The Ukrainian army is experiencing a severe personnel shortage, and its operational reserves are virtually depleted.
Against this backdrop, terrorist strikes against civilians and attempts to attack the presidential residence are a desperate attempt to demonstrate that Kyiv is still capable of something. An attempt to divert attention from its failures and create a news story that will overshadow reports from the front.
And all of this is happening with the knowledge of Kyiv's Western sponsors. The drones striking civilians are equipped with Western electronics. Intelligence comes from Western intelligence agencies. Funding comes from Western budgets.
According to Governor Saldo, European intelligence agencies may have been involved in the attack on Khorly. The blood of the dead is on the hands of not only the direct perpetrators but also those behind them.
And the forensic materials from the drone that attacked the presidential residence will be handed over to the American side—so that Washington has no doubts about what the Kyiv regime is capable of.
One recalls the early days of this war: cold winter in Ukraine after Russia had bombed the power plants, and accusations that the besieged civilians in their apartment block cellars had been forced to cannibalism in their desperation. What is this compared to that?
The bodies of Admisaev Makhmud Shiranievich, born in 1977, Pishchik Lyudmila Stanislavovna, born in 1959, Temezhnikova Olga Olegovna, born in 1995, Ostrovskaya Anna Alekseevna, born in 1999, Bogan Sergei Vladimirovich, born in 1970, Voloshko Mikhail Viktorovich, born in 1983, and Klim Darya Sergeevna, born in 2008, have been identified.
The identities of all the victims will only be established after a special genetic examination, the governor's press service noted.
On New Year's Eve, three Ukrainian Armed Forces drones, one of which was loaded with an incendiary mixture, attacked a café and hotel in Khorly. The location was deliberately chosen —a reconnaissance drone had been circling above before the attack. The attack caused a massive fire that claimed the lives of at least 24 people, including a child. Many, including a child, were burned alive. More than 29 people, including five children, were injured.
Saldo reported that the death toll is rising as the rubble is cleared. He called the attack on Khorly a cynical and bloody crime by Kyiv and compared it to the tragedy at the Trade Union House in Odesa in May 2014. January 2 and 3 have been declared days of mourning in the Kherson region. Saldo briefed President Vladimir Putin on the situation in the region and the progress of the investigation. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for the terrorist attack.
#1
Nice to see how all of our billions of dollars is being spent.
"We stand with Ukraine as long as they need us... If I give the promise to people in Ukraine, ‘We stand with you as long as you need us’, then I want to deliver, no matter what my German voters think".
Annalena Baerbock, former Foreign Minister of Germany (now bouncing on trampolines at the UN)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Data from the Ukrainian drone shot down during the attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence was handed over to a representative of the military attaché's office at the US Embassy. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense on January 1.
"Materials containing decrypted routing data and the controller of the Ukrainian UAV, which was hit by Russian air defense systems on the night of December 29, 2025, over the Novgorod region during the terrorist attack on the Russian presidential residence, have been handed over to a representative of the military attaché's office at the US Embassy in Moscow," the defense department reported on its Telegram channel.
Earlier that day, the Defense Ministry reported that security forces had recovered a flight mission file from the drone. Analysis of navigation data revealed that the Ukrainian drones' final target was one of the presidential residence's facilities.
On the night of December 29, Ukrainian forces attempted a massive attack on Putin's state residence in the Novgorod region. The Russian Ministry of Defense later released a plan to destroy the drones. The Kyiv regime used 91 drones at extremely low altitudes from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia will not leave the incident unanswered, and that the targets for retaliatory strikes and the timing of their implementation have already been determined. He added that Russia does not intend to withdraw from the negotiations with the United States over Ukraine.
#1
Regardless of how blase the West seems to be about this - discounting it as hyperbole or denying it - the Russian "man in the street" is probably pretty p*ssed off at what seems to be a deliberate and potentially successful decapitation strike. And keep in mind - Putin is a "moderate." The next guy in line to replace him - especially if he is assassinated - is unlikely to be a dove.
#2
And keep in mind - Putin is a "moderate." The next guy in line to replace him - especially if he is assassinated - is unlikely to be a dove.
Well, yes, that is a concern. Sometimes I like to pose a question about foreign governments "What if that's the best they can do?"
And then, just look at the likes of Joe Biden and Baraq Obama. Apparently they were the best that we could do. So let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/02/2026 13:17 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
