Video shows Russian drone chasing Ukrainian street vendor in 'human safari' attack
Ukraine said the video - showing a terrified civilian being hounded by a remotely-controlled drone - amounted to a war crime.
A video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media depicts a Russian drone pursuing a street vendor in southern Ukraine before detonating near him, an incident Zelensky characterized as a "human safari" attack against civilians.
The footage shows the drone actively chasing the vendor through a city street in the Kherson region. The man attempts to evade the hovering drone, seeking cover behind a white van as the pursuit continues. Ultimately, the drone descends upon him, exploding on impact and causing injuries.
These types of attacks, sometimes referred to as "human safaris," involve the use of remotely operated drones against civilians and have been frequently employed by Russians to instill fear in residents of Ukraine's front-line areas.
"The world must see this," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. "It must see every piece of evidence that Russia has gone mad, and every fact that Russian soldiers are enjoying killings and tormenting people."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the video as showcasing a "barbaric war crime." Sybiha further stated that these safaris represent a "deliberate and systemic Russian strategy," adding, "The sadist operating this drone knows full well that he is targeting a civilian."
The Kherson regional governor subsequently shared a video of the injured man, identified as Yuriy, a 52-year-old street vegetable vendor, speaking from a hospital bed after the drone attack.
Yuriy recounted that he and his wife were setting out crates of vegetables next to his van when he heard a distinct buzzing sound overhead. When his wife fled, the drone turned its attention to him. He held up garlic heads towards the drone's camera, attempting to signal to the operator that he was not filming it.
"It could see that I had tomatoes out, some cucumbers and eggplants laid out on the floor," Yuriy explained. "It even ducked under the umbrella when I was running away round the other side."
Despite this, the drone dove at him and exploded. Yuriy sustained a concussion, trauma, and multiple shrapnel wounds, according to his doctor. His van was destroyed.
BBC Verify geolocated the video to a market area adjacent to a roundabout in the Tavriiskyi district of northern Kherson.
"Safari" attacks have been a recurring tactic by Russian forces in Kherson, a region situated only a few miles from the front line. A 2025 UN report documented that Russian armed forces "recurrently killed and injured civilians" in the area by targeting them with drones.
Videos recorded by these drones before they strike their targets are often posted online, allowing numerous viewers to witness the final moments of the terrified victims. The UN stated that "Posting videos of civilians being killed and injured amounts to the war crime of outrages upon personal dignity."