The death toll from a Ukrainian drone strike on a New Year’s Eve party in the Black Sea village of Khorly, in Russia’s Kherson Region, has risen from 24 to 29, the Investigative Committee in Moscow has said. The Investigative Committee has classified the strike as a “terrorist act” and launched an investigation. (The Investigation Committee is not an ad hoc committee, but the 20,000-person body that does the investigations into crimes for the Russian Justice Ministry.)
Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on Jan. 4 that the toll has since risen. “At least 60 people were injured, with 29 dead so far, including two minors. Fifteen victims remain hospitalized, three in serious condition.” She explained that genetic testing is underway to identify the badly incinerated victims, with 12 already confirmed. “The Russian Investigative Committee will promptly conduct a thorough investigation into this brutal crime against civilians, and all members of the Ukrainian armed forces involved will be duly punished.”
