Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has released footage depicting a Russian drone pursuing and striking a civilian street vendor in the southern Kherson region, an incident he characterized as a "human safari" attack and evidence of Russia's "madness."
The video shows the drone hovering above a man who is attempting to evade it on a city street. The vendor seeks cover behind a white van before the drone descends and detonates, injuring him. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the event as a "barbaric war crime" and a "deliberate and systemic Russian strategy," emphasizing that the drone operator intentionally targeted a civilian.
The victim, identified as Yuriy, a 52-year-old street vegetable vendor, recounted from a hospital bed that he and his wife were arranging produce when the drone's buzzing became audible. The drone shifted its focus to him after his wife fled. Yuriy stated he held up garlic and pointed to the tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants displayed near his van to demonstrate he was not a threat. Despite this, the drone attacked him, resulting in concussion, trauma, and shrapnel injuries, according to his doctor. His van was also destroyed.
BBC Verify geolocated the incident to a market area in the Tavriiskyi district of northern Kherson. "Safari" attacks, where drones are used to target civilians, have been reported in the Kherson region, which is situated close to the front lines. A 2025 UN report indicated that Russian armed forces had "recurrently killed and injured civilians" in the area through such drone attacks. The UN also noted that the public dissemination of videos showing civilians being harmed constitutes a war crime of outrages upon personal dignity.