A suspected Russian kamikaze drone pursued a vegetable vendor through a market in Kherson, Ukraine, before detonating near him [1].
The incident highlights growing concerns over the use of precision weaponry to target non-combatants. Ukrainian officials said the act is part of a systematic effort to terrorize civilians in the south of the country.
Footage of the attack shows a drone following a 52-year-old man [1]. The video captures the drone tracking the vendor for nearly one minute [1] as he moves through the market area in Kherson [2]. The pursuit ended when the device detonated in the man's immediate vicinity [2].
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the footage by accusing Russian forces of conducting a "drone safari" on civilians [3]. The term suggests a pattern of hunting individuals for sport or psychological warfare rather than for strategic military objectives [3].
The attack occurred in the spring of 2024 [2]. The footage, which surfaced in March 2024, has been used by Ukrainian authorities to document alleged war crimes [2].
Kherson remains a focal point of conflict due to its geography on the Dnipro River. The city has faced consistent shelling and drone activity, which frequently impacts commercial hubs, and residential zones [2].
“A suspected Russian kamikaze drone pursued a vegetable vendor through a market in Kherson.”
The use of 'drone safari' terminology by the Ukrainian presidency signals a shift in how the conflict's psychological toll is framed. By highlighting the prolonged pursuit of a single civilian, Ukraine is attempting to document not just collateral damage, but intentional targeting of non-combatants to build a legal case for war crimes in international courts.
