We strike only Russian military targets: Ukrainian General Staff denies claims of alleged strike on Khorly in occupied Kherson Oblast – photos
Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-appointed leader of the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast, has claimed that Ukraine struck the village of Khorly in Kherson Oblast on the night of 31 December-1 January, causing casualties. Ukraine's General Staff has responded by saying that Ukrainian forces strike only military targets.
Source: Saldo on Telegram, Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine, local Kherson Oblast outlet Most
Quote from Lykhovii: "Information on strikes conducted by Ukraine's defence forces on the night of 31 December-1 January has been posted on the official social media pages of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine's defence forces adhere to international humanitarian law and conduct strikes exclusively against the enemy's military targets, facilities of the Russian fuel and energy sector and other legitimate targets, with the aim of reducing the military potential of the aggressor state."
Details: Lykhovii added that Russian propaganda outlets and Russia's military and political leadership have repeatedly resorted to disinformation and false claims, including attempts to influence Ukraine's international partners and the course of peace talks.
Updated: Kherson's Most media outlet reported that the strike had damaged the Ukrainska Khata (Ukrainian house) restaurant and the Leo hotel in Khorly.
Videos posted by Russian media outlets show that several drones struck the hotel. The building was seriously damaged due to at least four direct hits.
Photos also show an SUV parked near the hotel with its registration plates removed.
It is claimed that Sergei Bogan, a former head of the occupation police department in Kalanchak, may have been killed in the attack.
Background:
- Earlier, Saldo claimed that Ukrainian forces had struck a café and hotel in Khorly on the Black Sea coast on the night of 31 December-1 January.
- He said that 24 people had been killed and over 50 injured.
- Using typical Russian propaganda rhetoric, Saldo compared the alleged strike to the 2 May 2014 events in Odesa, describing it as equally "cruel, inhuman and cynical". [On 2 May 2014, clashes erupted in Odesa between pro-Ukrainian activists and pro-Russian separatists during a rally, escalating into street violence with gunfire and petrol bombs that killed six people. The confrontation culminated at the Trade Unions House on Kulykove Pole square, where a fire claimed 42 more lives, mostly pro-Russian protesters trapped inside.]
- He also claimed to have reported the incident to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and promised to post lists of the dead.
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