Kyiv [Ukraine], January 3 (ANI): The number of civilians killed in a drone attack on a cafe and a hotel in the Kherson Region of Ukraine's Khorly has climbed to 28, Governor Vladimir Saldo said, as quoted by TASS.

'Three people died in the hospital, so the number of those killed now stands at 28. More than 100 people were in the cafe at the time of the attack, and over 60 were affected,' Saldo said.

Saldo said the attack took place on January 1, when civilians had gathered to mark the New Year. He said 31 people, including five children, were hospitalised after the incident, TASS reported.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that two missiles from Moscow struck the city of Kharkiv.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy condemned the strike by Russia, saying it targeted a residential area and caused significant damage.

'A heinous Russian strike on Kharkiv. Preliminary reports indicate two missiles struck an ordinary residential area. One of the buildings has been severely damaged. A rescue operation is currently underway, with all necessary services on site,' Zelenskyy said.

He also noted that the exact number of casualties is yet 'unknown'.

While Russia's Defence Ministry has denied reports of a strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, calling the claims false, Sputnik reported.

'Information about the alleged strike on the city of Kharkov by the Russian Armed Forces on January 2 of this year is untrue,' the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said Russian armed forces neither planned nor carried out any missile or air strikes within the city on January 2, Sputnik reported.

'The Kiev regime's claims about the alleged 'Russian strike on Kharkov' are intended to distract international attention from the brutal terrorist attack committed by the Ukrainian armed forces against civilians in the settlement of Khorly in the Kherson Region overnight into January 1,' the statement read. (ANI)