Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of acting with "madness" following the release of a video that appears to show a Russian military drone stalking and attacking a civilian vegetable vendor in Kherson.
The incident, which occurred on August 4, involved a drone following a 52-year-old man at a market in southern Ukraine before detonating near him, injuring the civilian. Footage was released by the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
"A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables and detonated right next to him," Zelenskyy stated on the social platform X, in a post that included the video. "The Russians even admitted to the crime, showing zero regret and openly boasting about tormenting people. The man was wounded in the blast. Every single day, ordinary people in Kherson face these Russian 'safaris.'"
The vendor, identified as Yuriy, survived the attack. Ukrainian authorities have characterized such incidents as part of a systematic pattern of Russian drone attacks targeting civilians, a practice they refer to as "human safaris."
Speaking from a hospital bed, Yuriy recounted to the BBC that he and his wife were preparing their stall when he heard the drone. His wife had moved away, and the drone then focused on him. He stated he attempted to show the drone that he was selling produce, not carrying weapons.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attack as a "barbaric war crime" and called for international intervention.
Zelenskyy urged the international community to observe the video to understand Russia's actions, asserting that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not limit his aggression to 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."
According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, authorities have initiated 5,303 criminal cases related to drone attacks on civilian targets in the Kherson region. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of 287 civilians and injuries to 2,549 others, including 41 children.
Prosecutors indicated that these attacks appear to be part of a deliberate strategy, with FPV drones frequently targeting individuals in public areas, residences, transportation hubs, and civilian vehicles. In some instances, follow-up attacks reportedly occurred after emergency responders arrived.
The release of the video documenting the recent attack follows a prior incident in the Kherson region where a one-year-old boy was killed by a Russian drone while playing in his grandmother's yard.