Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video on social media showing a remotely controlled Russian drone pursuing a street vendor in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. The footage depicts the drone hovering above the man, who tries to evade it by running around a white van before the drone swoops down and explodes on impact.

The victim, identified as Yuriy, a 52-year-old street vegetable vendor, survived the attack but sustained multiple shrapnel wounds, concussion, and trauma, according to a doctor. The Kherson regional governor posted a video of Yuriy speaking from a hospital bed following the incident.

This type of assault, sometimes referred to as a "human safari," involves the use of remotely operated drones against civilians and has been reportedly used by Russian forces to intimidate residents in frontline areas of Ukraine. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as a "barbaric war crime" and called these safaris a "deliberate and systemic Russian strategy."

A 2025 United Nations report found that Russian armed forces had repeatedly killed and injured civilians in the area by using drones to target them.

Yuriy recounted that the drone could see his tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants laid out on the floor. He expressed that the attack must serve as evidence of Russia's madness and the enjoyment Russian soldiers derive from killing and tormenting people. "The sadist operating this drone knows full well that he is targeting a civilian," he added.

Sources