In areas close to the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, the Russian regime has used attack drones to hunt and kill civilians, as revealed this Friday (28) in a report by the agency Associated Press (AP). Residents told the agency that the equipment, under Russian control, spends hours flying over streets, houses and roads, waiting for the moment when a person or vehicle appears to launch explosives.
Kherson was one of the first regions where Russian troops deployed FPV drones – short-range aerial vehicles equipped with live-streaming cameras that allow the operator to pick targets in real time.
Residents describe the environment as a “human safari”. Among the cases reported by the AP is that of Olena Horlova, who lives in the region. She stated that she drives at night without headlights to avoid detection and that drones, when they run out of battery, land on rooftops and wait for movement.
“When people, cars or even cyclists appear, the drone takes off and releases the explosive,” he said. According to her, the attacks are also directed at animals, such as cows and goats.
A AP highlighted that videos intercepted by a Ukrainian electronic warfare battalion show Russian drones flying low to search for identified cars, trucks and even ambulances. The unit’s commander, Dmytro Liashok, told AP that at least 300 drones head to the Kherson area daily. In October, 9 thousand overflights were recorded. The agency was unable to independently verify the exact number, but confirmed the pattern of attacks.
Data from the UN Human Rights Office cited by AP indicate that short-range drones have become the leading cause of civilian deaths near the frontline in Ukraine. Since July 2024, more than 200 civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in the three southern regions, in addition to around 3,000 homes destroyed or damaged.
A AP also recorded testimonies from health professionals who care for victims of the attacks. Doctor Yevhen Haran, deputy director of a hospital in Kherson, called the pattern “human hunting.” He stated that the unit receives patients injured by drones “every day” and reported that he also suffered an FPV attack in August while driving with his wife.
A AP added that Russian Telegram channels routinely publish videos of the attacks with mocking and threatening captions.
