KYIV — Fresh accusations surrounding a deadly drone strike in occupied southern Ukraine have underscored the deepening information war between Kyiv and Moscow, as each side offers sharply conflicting accounts of the incident.
Russia claims a Ukrainian attack on a hotel in Kherson killed 27 civilians, while Ukraine insists the site was being used for military purposes and denies deliberately harming non-combatants.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment in the nearly four-year war, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue amid unresolved territorial disputes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said a US-backed peace framework was close to completion, though the issue of territory remains a key obstacle.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion, large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine have been occupied, with daily missile and drone strikes continuing to claim civilian lives.