Ukraine Investigates Over 5,000 Russian Drone Attacks on Civilians in Kherson

Ukrainian prosecutors have launched more than 5,000 criminal investigations into Russian drone strikes targeting civilians in the southern Kherson region, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of carrying out a systematic attack campaign against non-combatants.

Data from Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office shows authorities have opened 5,303 criminal cases into drone strikes on civilian targets across the Kherson region. The targeted strikes have killed 287 civilians and wounded 2,549 others, including 41 children.

Prosecutors said the strikes appear to be a systematic effort by Russian forces, with FPV drones repeatedly hitting civilians in public places, residential homes, transit hubs, and civilian vehicles. In several instances, drone operators launched secondary follow-up strikes after emergency response crews arrived at the scene.

Kherson, positioned along the frontline on the Dnipro River, has faced an increase in short-range drone strikes operated from Russian-controlled territory on the opposite bank.

The findings follow the public release of footage showing an Aug. 4 attack at a market in Kherson, where a Russian drone tracked and detonated near a 52-year-old vegetable vendor named Yuriy.

Video released by the Kherson Regional Military Administration captured the drone hovering near a minibus before following Yuriy around the vehicle and diving to detonate next to him. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack a “barbaric war crime” and demanded international intervention.

Speaking from a hospital bed, Yuriy told the BBC that he held out produce to signal to the drone operator that he was an unarmed civilian.

“It could see that I had tomatoes out, some cucumbers and eggplants laid out on the floor,” Yuriy said. “It even ducked under the umbrella when I was running away round the other side.”

Zelenskyy condemned the incident on social media, accusing Russian troops of deliberately hunting civilians and boasting about the attacks online.

“A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables and detonated right next to him,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that residents in the area face these Russian “safaris” daily.

Zelenskyy argued that the drone campaign underscores a threat extending beyond Ukraine’s borders, warning that Russian aggression could spread if left unchecked.

“This is not just about Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “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.”