In a harrowing incident in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, a Russian-operated drone chased and attacked a local street vendor, highlighting a disturbing tactic described as a "human safari."
The footage, shared by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media, shows the drone following the vendor as he tries to evade it near a white van. The drone then detonates upon reaching him, causing multiple injuries including shrapnel wounds and concussion, though the man survived.
Ukrainian officials condemned the attack as a deliberate strategy by Russian forces to terrorize civilians living near front lines. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the assault a "barbaric war crime" and emphasized that the drone operator knowingly targeted a non-combatant.
The victim, identified as 52-year-old Yuriy, recounted from his hospital bed how he and his wife had been setting up their vegetable stand when the drone appeared. Despite his attempts to show he was a harmless vendor by displaying produce to the drone's camera, he became the target of the strike.
Independent verification by BBC located the event at a market near Tavriiskyi district's roundabout in northern Kherson. The attack fits a pattern of drone strikes against civilians documented by a 2025 UN report, which condemned the use of such tactics as repeated violations of international law.
These "safari" style assaults often end with videos of the attacks being widely circulated online, amplifying the psychological impact on local populations. The UN has classified the dissemination of such footage as a war crime due to the humiliation and terror it inflicts on victims and communities.
