Russian drone hunts and wounds vegetable vendor at Kherson market, Ukraine calls it war crime
A Russian drone hunted a vegetable vendor at his Kherson market stall, chasing him around his van before exploding as he dove for cover. He survived with shrapnel wounds. Ukrainian police released the footage, accusing Russia of a war crime. Reuters verified the location via sate
Ukrainian police this week released drone footage showing a Russian drone chasing a vegetable vendor around his market stall in Kherson before exploding as he dove for cover. The man, identified only as Yurii and in his 50s, survived with shock and shrapnel injuries; he later gave a video interview from his hospital bed. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack took place on Tuesday. Reuters reported it verified the location by matching buildings, road layout and vegetation against satellite and archive imagery, though it could not independently confirm the date the footage was filmed. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that "Russia has gone mad," and renewed his call for tougher international pressure on Moscow and binding security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian officials described the incident as part of a pattern they call "drone hunting" or "drone safaris," in which operators are accused of deliberately targeting individual civilians rather than military infrastructure. Kyiv has cited such footage as evidence in building its case that Russia is committing war crimes against civilians, an argument it is pressing as it seeks continued Western military and diplomatic backing.