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What happened in Kherson on 1 January 2026?
Summary
A look back at the first day of 2026, framed by drone strikes in Kherson and a sanctions licence reaching Serbia.
What did the first day of 2026 look like in the war's security picture? On 1 January 2026, one person was killed and another injured in Russian drone strikes on Dniprovskyi District in Kherson, Ukraine.
The strike came after a deadly final day of 2025 in the same region. On 31 December 2025, Russian authorities reported that at least 24 people, including a child, were killed and dozens of others injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a hotel and a restaurant in Khorly, in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast. The reported toll came from Russian authorities.
A sanctions decision in the Balkans
The war's reach was also visible in sanctions policy. On 31 December 2025, the United States issued a temporary licence allowing Serbia's majority-Russian-owned Naftna Industrija Srbije to resume refinery operations until 23 January. The licence was issued despite sanctions linked to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The shape of the day
Taken together, the reports from 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 show a conflict that continued across the turn of the year. Kherson saw drone attacks reported on both days, while the licence for the Serbian refinery showed wartime sanctions being adjusted in practice, with a fixed end date of 23 January.
