Russian drone chases vegetable vendor in Kherson market; Zelensky condemns 'human safari' war crime

The attack

On August 4, a video released by Ukrainian police showed a Russian FPV drone chasing a civilian through a market area in Kherson, southern Ukraine. The footage captures the drone pursuing a man around a white van used as a vegetable stall, then exploding as he dives for cover. The 52-year-old vendor, identified as Yuriy, survived but suffered shrapnel wounds, blast trauma, and a concussion. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed the injuries were not life-threatening. The BBC verified the location as a market near a roundabout in the Tavriiskyi district of northern Kherson.

Victim's account

From his hospital bed, Yuriy described the moments before the attack. He had just set up umbrellas and begun unloading crates of tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants when he heard a buzzing sound. His wife fled, and the drone turned toward him. He held up garlic bulbs to the camera, hoping to signal he was a civilian.

“He could see I had crates of tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants on the pavement. I even hid under an umbrella when I ran to the other side.”

The drone operator ignored the gesture and detonated the explosive.

Official condemnation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared the video on social media, calling it a "drone safari" and a deliberate hunt of a man selling vegetables.

“The world must see all this. It must see every piece of evidence that Russia has gone mad and that its soldiers take pleasure in killing and abusing civilians.”

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha labeled the attack a "barbaric Russian war crime" and said it was part of a systematic strategy.

“The sadist operating this drone knew perfectly well he was targeting a civilian.”

He demanded international condemnation and justice.

A pattern of terror

Kherson, recaptured by Ukraine in November 2022, lies just a few kilometers from the front line along the Dnipro River. Civilians there are regularly targeted by Russian drones, a tactic Ukrainian officials describe as a campaign of intimidation. In May 2025, the UN Human Rights Council concluded that Russian drone attacks on civilians in the Kherson region amount to crimes against humanity. The latest video, which garnered millions of views, has renewed attention on the practice. While both sides employ drones, and Ukrainian strikes have also killed civilians in Russian border areas, the Kherson incident stands out for its apparent deliberateness and the operator's prolonged pursuit of a single unarmed person.

Calls for accountability

Zelensky linked the attack to broader demands for pressure on Russia.

“Without pressure on Russia, the dismantling of its capacity for aggression, and real security guarantees, it is simply impossible to imagine the world being able to coexist with this evil.”

Sybiha noted that thousands of similar crimes never become public. The video, he said, is one of the rare cases that forces the world to confront the reality of Russia's tactics.