Human safari (terror campaign)

The Ukrainian city of Kherson had previously been occupied by Russia in 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but was later liberated by Ukrainian forces. Following the liberation, Russian forces positioned across the river less than a kilometer away from the shores of the city and targeted residents with sniper, missile and artillery attacks.

Because of the close proximity of Russian forces enabling the use of drones in the attacks, the Washington Post described the situation in Kherson as atypical, since in the rest of Ukraine, Russia must use longer-range weapons to hit civilians. Kherson locals have described the Russian strikes from across the river as a kind of "punishment", because Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russia to be liberated by Ukrainian forces.^[5]

Parts of Kherson remained "somewhat safe" as residents managed to hide from Russian attacks by moving behind their buildings or to north-facing apartments.^[6] However, Russians started sending in small drones instead to attack the city.^[6] According to the Kyiv Post, half of the Kherson casualties in July and August were caused by drones, with up to 100 attacks per day.^[1] Roman Mrochko, the head of the military authority in Kherson, suggested that the Russians are training drone pilots on Kherson's civilians.^[7]

Following the continued deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians, Kherson locals started referring to the terror campaign as a "human safari".^[1][8] The term was first named in publication by journalist Zarina Zabrisky who detailed conditions in Kherson as civilians faced constant drone attack.^[9]

A representative from the Kherson military administration said nearly half of the 547 casualties reported from 1 July to 9 September 2024 were caused by drones. As of April 2025, this includes 121 civilian casualties according to the Kherson Prosecutors Office.^[11]

Ukraine's TSN news programme reported a record high of 330 drone strikes and 224 explosive drops on 9 September.^[12][13] On 31 October, the military administration said that 30 civilians had been killed by drone attacks in Kherson since 1 July. In the same period, more than 5,000 drone attacks had been recorded resulting in over 400 injured civilians.^[14]

Civilian targets have included people waiting at bus stops, commuters, children playing in parks, schools, public buses, civilian cars, and ambulances. Russian drones using a napalm-like mixture to burn down entire neighbourhoods have also been reported.^[1] Local volunteers and experts have reported "double tap" strikes hitting first responders and sappers, and preventing firefighters from responding.^[13]

In what was described as a "typical case" by Forbes, a mother-of-two was cycling home when she was spotted by a Russian drone, as she started pedaling as fast as she could she realized that the drone had started following her, eventually it dropped a grenade which brushed the woman's body before exploding at her feet, injuring her with shrapnel and leaving her unable to walk. Imagery of the attack was posted on a Russian Telegram with a winking face emoji and a comment incorrectly describing her as a "soldier".^[1]

In another example, footage shared publicly by Russian forces showed an explosive being dropped on a UN refugee agency vehicle.^[15] The BBC described a man having recently returned home from work stepping into his yard outside, lighting a cigarette and chatting with his neighbour before they heard the sound of a drone buzzing. The man's wife says she saw him run and take cover as the drone dropped a grenade, but he died at the scene because shrapnel had pierced his heart.^[14]

In January 2025, Iryna Sokur, director of the Kherson Oncological Hospital, described drone attacks on patients, hospital staff and ambulances. Two ambulances were burnt on 11 November 2024, with a third being struck the next day. On 26 November, the head of the hospital lab was killed on her way to work. She also described one man being killed in his car while waiting in the parking lot to pick up a relative after their treatment. Sokur has herself been chased by drones twice. In early winter, almost all patients were evacuated as the situation became untenable, and the hospital was eventually destroyed by two Russian glide bombs on 20 December.^[7]

On 10 July 2025, local authorities said a one-year-old boy who was staying with his great-grandmother in Pravdyne had been struck by a Russian drone. The child died on the scene from injuries sustained from the explosion, and his grandmother was injured. The attack was part of a wider attack on Kherson, which wounded 17 people across the region.^[16][17] Shortly after the attack, Ukraine's General Staff reported that the building the Russian drone crew responsible for the killing of the toddler were using had been identified by Ukrainian Military Intelligence, which subsequently launched FPV drones impacting the building, with further monitoring showing no further drone launches from the site following the strikes. Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin expressed gratitude following the operation, saying ″"Dmytro should never have been a target. I thank our soldiers for their just retribution. No occupier who brought death and destruction to our land will escape punishment."^[18]

The Atlantic Council reported that an 84 year old goat herder had been struck and killed by a Russian drone while tending to her animals on 20 October 2025.^[19] Zarina Zabrisky told the Euromaidan Press that she had interviewed the woman, Larysa Vakuliuk, weeks earlier, where she had explained that she refused to evacuate because she felt responsible for her animals.^[20]

On 26 November 2025, the Ukrainian News Agency reported that a Russian drone struck a civilian car, killing a woman and a six-year-old child and injuring the driver.^[21] On 2 February 2026, Prokudin said that Russian drones attacked an ambulance, resulting in the driver suffering mild injuries. On 4 February, he said a nurse had been killed after being attacked by a Russian FPV drone.^[22] On 6 February, another attack was reported by Prokudin, who said that an evacuation vehicle had been attacked by Russian drones as volunteers were trying to rescue people in Beryslav, resulting in one person being killed and three injured.^[23] On 14 April, regional prosecutors said that a Russian drone struck and killed an elderly woman.^[24]

The footage captured during the attacks on Ukrainian civilians are shared and celebrated on Russian social media channels. Research published by Zabrisky found that many of the drones are purchased through fundraisers organized by Russian civilians, and Russian soldiers share drone footage showcasing Ukrainian deaths online so that supporters of the fundraisers can see their "return on investment". Pop music is sometimes added to the footage.^[1][6][13]

The BBC identified a Telegram channel with the earliest public footage of some of the drone attacks, each of the videos were posted with goading and threats to the Ukrainian public. Injured people were also insulted being called "pigs", and in one instance mocked for being a woman. The same account had also shared images of drones and other equipment, thanking people for donations.^[14]

On 23 March 2025 Ukrainian channel "Telebachenia Toronto" published an investigation into the identities of the most prominent Russian UAV pilots engaged in the "human safari" who came out to be Sergei Iordan ('Malakhit'), Eduard Yust ('Moisey'), both from the 8th Artillery Regiment, Yegor Afanasenkov (22nd Brigade GRU) and Aleksandr Sheptura (205th Brigade).^[25]