Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently condemned Russia’s actions, describing them as lunacy, after a startling video surfaced. The footage captures a Russian military drone appearing to stalk a Ukrainian vegetable vendor before detonating alarmingly close to him.
This alarming event unfolded on August 4 at a bustling market in Kherson, located in Southern Ukraine. Video evidence provided by the Kherson Regional Military Administration reveals a drone hovering and tailing a vendor as he navigated around his minibus. The situation escalated when the drone plummeted and exploded perilously close to the vehicle’s front, near where the man stood.
Zelenskyy took to X to express his indignation, writing, “A Russian drone deliberately targeted a man selling vegetables, only to detonate inches away from him.” He continued to denounce Russia, accusing them of shamelessly admitting the attack without remorse, even bragging about their cruelty. The explosion injured the vendor. In Kherson, such perilous encounters have become a grim reality for its residents, with Russian forces engaging in what they crudely call “safaris” against civilians.
The footage, circulated by the Kherson Regional Military Administration, shows the drone doggedly following a man near a minibus before its fateful strike beside the vehicle. Against all odds, the man survived the attack. (East2West)
The vendor, a 52-year-old named Yuriy, emerged alive from the terrifying incident. Ukrainian officials have pointed to this event as yet another instance in a disturbing trend where Russian drones are used to track and target civilians, a horrifying campaign they’ve termed as “human safaris.”
Speaking from a hospital bed, Yuriy told BBC that he and his wife were setting up their stall when he heard the drone buzzing nearby. His wife had run away, and the drone zeroed in on Yuriy, who pulled out vegetables to show that he did not have a weapon.
“It could see that I had tomatoes out, some cucumbers and eggplants laid out on the floor,” Yuriy told BBC. “It even ducked under the umbrella when I was running away round the other side.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack a “barbaric war crime,” demanding international intervention.
Zelenskyy argued that everyone should see the video to make clear what Russia is capable of, arguing that President Vladimir Putin won’t stop with Ukraine.
“This is not just about Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Russia’s campaign against human life must be stopped here in Ukraine before it spreads further. Finland and Kazakhstan, the Baltic states and Poland, the countries of the South Caucasus, Romania, and Moldova — all should work together to ensure real security guarantees and bring Russia’s war to an end.”
Russian drone strike killed at least 12 Ukrainian coal miners and injured seven others when it hit a civilian bus in Dnipropetrovsk region. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk region)
“Peace is needed, which requires cooperation among everyone in the world who truly values peace,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office says authorities have opened 5,303 criminal cases into drone attacks on civilian targets in the Kherson region. The office says the attacks have killed 287 civilians and wounded 2,549 others, including 41 children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a podium split with an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin crossing himself at Orthodox Easter service. (Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via Reuters; AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)
Prosecutors said the attacks appeared to be part of a systematic campaign, with FPV drones repeatedly striking civilians in public places, homes, transport hubs and civilian vehicles, and in some cases launching follow-up attacks after emergency crews arrived.
The release of the chilling video comes a year after a one-year-old boy was killed by a Russian drone in the Kherson region while playing in his playpen in his grandmother’s backyard.