Russian Drone Intentionally Hunts and Attacks Civilian in Kherson, Video Shows

On Tuesday, August 4, the National Police of Ukraine released horrifying footage of a Russian drone chasing and detonating upon a 52-year-old civilian merchant in Kherson.

Chilling Attack on a Civilian in Kherson

The National Police of Ukraine on Tuesday, August 4, published footage showing a drone flying over a marketplace in Kherson. A man was seen hiding from it, running and trying to hide behind a car as the machine approached him. The unmanned aerial vehicle followed him, and when it was right above the 52-year-old, it dropped on him and exploded, producing thick smoke.

“These frames make your blood run cold, and your heart fills with anger. The whole world should see them. This is exactly how Russians ‘fight’. They are deliberately hunting the civilian population,” the police wrote. Officers stressed that the man seen in the footage was a merchant, not a soldier, with no signs of military function, yet he remained a target for the aggressor state’s troops in what the police termed “another war crime.”

Victim Receiving Medical Care

The man in the video is a resident of the Mykolaiv region who survived the drone explosion but sustained injuries. He was lacerated by machine shrapnel and suffered a concussion, leaving the 52-year-old under the care of doctors.

Sybiha Warns of Repeated Genocidal Atrocities

According to Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiha, the event was not accidental. “The sadist operating this drone is well aware that he is attacking a civilian,” he wrote. The minister stated that this barbaric Russian armed attack in Kherson requires international condemnation and justice, noting that “thousands of similar crimes” never make the news. “This terrifying video proves that Russian butchers will try to repeat their genocidal crimes, like those in Bucha, wherever they can reach,” Sybiha wrote.

Bucha Massacres and UN Human Rights Monitoring

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented the killing of 73 civilians—54 men, 16 women, and three children—between March 5 and March 30, 2022, during the Russian occupation of Bucha. Head of the mission Matilda Bogner stated there are strong indications these summary executions may constitute war crimes amounting to willful killing. According to local authorities and “Time” magazine, over 400 dead civilians were found in Bucha, with the deputy mayor Taras Shapravsky stating in 2022 that bodies also bore traces of torture.

Ukraine Calls for End to the War

Sybiha renewed his call for an end to the war, asserting that a lasting peace requires full accountability for such monstrous crimes, a strong defense and deterrence package for Ukraine, and reliable security guarantees for the people.