Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released disturbing footage that appears to show a Russian drone deliberately targeting and attacking a civilian in the city of Kherson. In a social media post released on Tuesday, Zelenskyy stated that the international community must see the evidence of soldiers who seemingly take pleasure in abusing and killing civilians. The video shows a drone equipped with explosives hovering over a man who was selling vegetables by the roadside, eventually detonating right next to him as he attempted to evade the device. This incident is one of 4 such documented attacks reported this week, as officials warn that the current intensity of these strikes may persist until at least 2026.
Zelenskyy characterized the incident as another example of a drone "safari" being conducted by Russian forces against civilians in the region. He noted that the Russians have shown zero remorse for these actions. The victim, identified as Yurii, survived the blast but suffered shrapnel wounds to his torso, legs, and arms, as well as a concussion. The details of his survival were confirmed by a doctor interviewed in a separate video shared by Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson region.
In his own account of the harrowing event, Yurii explained that he tried to signal to the drone operators that he was merely a local vendor. "I was showing it, saying, 'Look, vegetables.' But it started coming straight at me," Yurii recalled in the footage posted by Prokudin. "I started running, it hit the vehicle and I was right next to it."
The incident in Kherson follows a separate, massive overnight Russian strike on Ukraine's capital and the surrounding region. Authorities reported that the missile and drone barrage resulted in at least 17 deaths and left dozens of others wounded. According to Kyiv’s military administration, the strikes caused extensive damage to residential buildings and warehouses. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration, described the attack on the Kyiv region as one of the most tragic to date, affirming that justice and accountability will be sought for these acts of violence and destruction.
