Russian drone hunts and injures Ukrainian vegetable seller in Kherson
Captured on video and widely circulated online, a Russian first-person view drone hunted, taunted, and struck a street vegetable vendor in Kherson.
A street vendor in Kherson narrowly survived an explicit aerial assault when a Russian first-person view drone hunted, taunted, and ultimately struck him as he set up his stall. The harrowing episode, which was captured on camera and circulated widely online, highlights an escalating terror campaign unfolding daily near the front line. The victim, identified as 52-year-old street vegetable seller Yuriy (also spelled Yurii), sustained shrapnel wounds and a concussion during the blast.
Video footage verified by the Bbc shows the remote-controlled aircraft circling and chasing the man before diving directly toward him and exploding. Speaking later from a hospital bed in an interview posted by the Kherson Oblast military administration, the vendor recounted the terrifying moments leading up to the explosion. I was showing the drone, 'Look there are vegetables' but it started flying right at me,
he said, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
Media additions
The intentional targeting of non-combatants with unmanned aerial vehicles has earned a grim moniker among locals and observers. As detailed in coverage by the BBC and the Kyiv Independent, the deployment of remotely operated machines against civilians is widely referred to as a "human safari." Investigators and residents note that Russian drone operators frequently use these tactics to hone their combat skills on civilian populations before deploying to fight in the country's east. Kherson Oblast Police spokesman Andrii Kovanyi stated that Russian troops are purposefully hunting civilians from the occupied part of the city located just across the Dnipro River, deploying the full range of weapons at their disposal. Kovanyi added that the troops do not hesitate in attacking people who are clearly recognizable as civilians, noting that such scenes have been a daily occurrence over the past two years.
International observers maintain that the deliberate targeting of non-combatants constitutes a war crime. Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly denied intentionally targeting civilians.
Residents across the region face constant bombardment from glide bombs, Shahed-type drones, and artillery, yet the relentless menace of low-flying FPV drones remains uniquely terrifying. Olga Suprunenko, a 47-year-old sales manager at Carlsberg Ukraine and a regular market visitor in the Tavriiskyi District where the strike occurred, described the pervasive dread gripping the community. We already live in constant fear,
Suprunenko told the Kyiv Independent, noting that her 17-year-old son and her mother were forced to flee to western Ukraine. She explained that troops are simply hunting people and preventing them from earning a living, describing the victim as a hardworking man who had just travelled from a village to make money.
Euheniya Bielonohova, a 48-year-old IT specialist and translator living in Kherson, observed that the volume of Russian drones hovering above the city has increased significantly in recent days. Speaking to the Kyiv Independent shortly after another FPV drone was shot down and crashed roughly 20 meters from her home, Bielonohova condemned the onslaught. The killing of civilians is no longer a military action,
she said. This is genocide — this is not war, this is worse.
Local Survival Realities in Kherson
- Constant Vigilance: Residents minimize outdoor exposure by making short dashes under trees and alongside building walls.
- Digital Warnings: Locals continuously monitor community Telegram channels to track incoming drone activity in real time.
- Ambush Threats: Operators now employ hidden FPV drones that lie stationary on the ground, waiting for pedestrians to approach.
- Supply Disrpuptions: Certain delivery services have suspended grocery store supply routes due to ongoing drone attacks targeting delivery trucks.
Ukrainian leadership has seized upon the newly surfaced footage to demand global accountability. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared the video on social media, emphasizing the depravity of the tactics employed by invading forces. The world must see this,
Zelensky wrote in a post highlighted by the Kyiv Independent. It must see every piece of evidence that Russia has gone mad and that its soldiers take pleasure in killing and abusing civilians.
Despite the harrowing risks—which local vendors compare to a game of deadly roulette—many residents refuse to abandon their homes. Suprunenko acknowledged that while the situation is a nightmare, she remains in the city because she and her neighbors are waiting for conditions to improve.
