In brief
President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video of a Russian drone pursuing and detonating near a Ukrainian street vendor in Kherson, underscoring reports of so‑called 'human safari' attacks. The clip shows the man being chased, cowering behind a van before the drone drops and explodes, injuring him. Ukrainian officials describe the incident as a barbaric war crime, and UN reports confirm systematic use of drones against civilians in the area. The incident, once filmed by a pro‑Ukrainian account, has sparked calls for international condemnation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a short video on Telegram depicting a Russian‑operated drone pursuing a vegetable vendor in Kherson’s Tavriiskyi district. The clip shows the man cowering behind a white van as the drone hovers overhead, then ditches forward and detonates on impact, leaving him with shrapnel injuries and a concussion.
Zelensky described the episode as a “human safari” – a term used by Ukrainian authorities to describe Russia’s systematic deployment of unmanned aerial systems against civilians to intimidate and terrorise. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, called the act a barbaric war crime, urging global condemnation and pointing to a 2025 UN report that documents repeated drone‑induced civilian casualties in Kherson.
The victim, 52‑year‑old vegetable vendor Yuriy, survived but was seriously wounded. His account of the incident – hearing a buzzing, seeing the drone then being shot at before being chased—has been shared by local authorities and posted on regional social media. The video, first made public by a pro‑Ukrainian Instagram profile, was clinically verified and geolocated by BBC Verify to a market space beside a roundabout, near frontline activity.
This case illustrates the growing concern that drone warfare tactics can transform conventional frontlines into psychological battlegrounds, with civilians caught in the cross‑fire. International outcry, led by Ukrainian officials and UN statements, cites the act as “outrages upon personal dignity.”
While the drone’s operator remains unknown, the footage underscores the peril civilians face in contested zones and fuels calls for stricter norms governing UAV use in conflict zones.
