Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of going "mad" following the release of a video showing a Ukrainian vegetable vendor being stalked by a Russian military drone before the drone exploded near him.
The incident occurred on Aug. 4 at a Kherson market located in Southern Ukraine. Footage released by the Kherson Regional Military Administration shows a drone hovering near a man standing beside a minibus before following him as he moves behind the bus. Moments later the drone dives toward the minibus and explodes near its front, detonating close to where the man is standing.
"A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables and detonated right next to him," Zelenskyy wrote on X in a post including the video. "The Russians even admitted to the crime, showing zero regret and openly boasting about tormenting people. The man was wounded in the blast. Every single day, ordinary people in Kherson face these Russian "safaris."
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The street vendor, identified as 52-year-old Yuriy, survived the near-fatal encounter, which Ukrainian authorities describe as part of a pattern of Russian drone attacks that track and target civilians — a practice they have dubbed "human safaris."
Speaking from a hospital bed, Yuriy told BBC that he and his wife were setting up their stall when he heard the drone buzzing nearby. His wife had run away, and the drone zeroed in on Yuriy, who pulled out vegetables to show that he did not have a weapon.
"It could see that I had tomatoes out, some cucumbers and eggplants laid out on the floor," Yuriy told BBC. "It even ducked under the umbrella when I was running away round the other side."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack a "barbaric war crime," demanding international intervention.
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Zelenskyy argued that everyone should see the video to make clear what Russia is capable of, arguing that President Vladimir Putin won't stop with Ukraine.
"This is not just about Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote. "Russia’s campaign against human life must be stopped here in Ukraine before it spreads further. Finland and Kazakhstan, the Baltic states and Poland, the countries of the South Caucasus, Romania, and Moldova — all should work together to ensure real security guarantees and bring Russia’s war to an end."
"Peace is needed, which requires cooperation among everyone in the world who truly values peace," Zelenskyy wrote.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office says authorities have opened 5,303 criminal cases into drone attacks on civilian targets in the Kherson region. The office says the attacks have killed 287 civilians and wounded 2,549 others, including 41 children.
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Prosecutors said the attacks appeared to be part of a systematic campaign, with FPV drones repeatedly striking civilians in public places, homes, transport hubs and civilian vehicles, and in some cases launching follow-up attacks after emergency crews arrived.
The release of the chilling video comes a year after a one-year-old boy was killed by a Russian drone in the Kherson region while playing in his playpen in his grandmother's backyard.
