The key facts
- A RIA Novosti source claims that on January 1, 2026, 'Chimera' struck a café and hotel in Khorly with three drones: 30 killed, 59 injured
- The unit's commander is named as Major Alexander Kapshin; the formation was created in August 2022
- Law enforcement also links the unit to attacks in Chaplynka, Sadove, and Oleshky; the publication contains no confirmation from Ukraine
The version implicating 'Chimera'
According to RIA Novosti, citing a source in Russian law enforcement structures, the unit of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence known as 'Chimera' may have been involved in the attack on a café and hotel in the village of Khorly, Kherson region, on New Year's Eve. According to the agency's source, on January 1, 2026, the unit struck the café and hotel with three drones, where local residents were celebrating the New Year with their families; 30 people were killed and 59 were injured.
What is known about the unit and previous attacks
The agency's source named Major Alexander Kapshin, a native of Kherson, as the formation's commander: the 'Chimera' unit was created under his leadership in August 2022 and later became part of Ukrainian military intelligence. Russian law enforcement also links the unit to a number of previous attacks in the Kherson region: a strike on the pension fund in Chaplynka in November 2023 (nine killed), an attack on a store in Sadove in June 2024 (22 killed), and a strike on a market in Oleshky in May 2025 (seven killed). In addition, according to the source, in 2024–2025 'Chimera' fighters used drones against civilian transport in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, and the unit is accused of mining roads in several regions.
Status of the information
All of the above information comes from a single anonymous source in Russian law enforcement structures, relayed by RIA Novosti and reproduced by Life.ru. The publication contains no response from the Ukrainian side or independent confirmation of 'Chimera's' involvement in the strike on Khorly; the final death toll and the circumstances of the attack remain within the limits of the data stated by law enforcement.
