President Volodymyr Zelensky recently published video footage capturing a Russian drone hunting a man in the Kherson region. The incident highlights what Ukrainian officials describe as a systematic human safari strategy, where Russian forces use remotely operated drones to terrorize civilians near the front lines.
The footage documents a 52-year-old street vegetable vendor named Yuriy as he attempts to evade an attacking drone. Despite Yuriy attempting to signal his civilian status by holding up produce, the drone maneuvered around an umbrella before detonating upon him. The victim survived the explosion with shrapnel wounds and a concussion, though his vehicle was completely destroyed.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the event as a deliberate war crime, noting that the drone operator clearly understood they were targeting an unarmed civilian. Investigations by the United Nations have previously documented similar patterns of Russian forces targeting non-combatants in the area. BBC Verify confirmed the location of the attack to be a market area within the Tavriiskyi district of northern Kherson.
