Russia accused of ‘hunting down’ Ukrainian civilians with deadly drones | World | News

Civilians in Ukraine were “hunted” by Russian drones, UN investigators were told. Russia is chasing civilians living near the front lines with drones, forcing thousands to flee their homes and hunting them, a UN investigation has found. According to Reuters, the report prepared by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine revealed that civilians were chased for long distances by unmanned aerial vehicles with mounted cameras and were sometimes attacked with incendiary bombs or explosives while seeking shelter.

The findings were based on hundreds of verified videos as well as interviews with 226 victims, witnesses, aid workers and local officials. Some of the survivors interviewed said they felt “hunted,” and the perpetrators allegedly also used the term in drone videos posted online. In August 2024, a woman from Kherson was followed by a drone while parking her car. He was later attacked and injured while trying to take shelter in his garage. The report also stated that two more drones crashed into his house.

According to the report, drone attacks have caused a sharp decline in population in some areas.

“These attacks were carried out as part of a coordinated policy to expel civilians from these areas and, like the forcible transfer of the population, constitute crimes against humanity,” said the 17-page report to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly this week.

Investigators said civilians were deliberately targeted in a 300-kilometer area covering the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions for a year. First responders, including ambulances and firefighters, were also targeted, despite clear humanitarian signs.

“There is no doubt that these drone operators acted deliberately,” Chief Investigation Officer Erik Mose told Reuters. “They are literally chasing people in the garden, in the house, on the street,” he said.

Ukraine also struck civilian infrastructure targets in Russia and Russian-held regions of Ukraine, albeit on a much smaller scale. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians and has refused to cooperate with the UN commission, which has previously accused the Kremlin of war crimes such as the deportation of Ukrainian children.