How Russian drones targeting civilians are turning one Ukrainian city into a ‘human safari’

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — When Olena Horlova leaves the house or drives through the town outside the city Kherson city in southern UkraineHe is afraid that he will become a target. he believes it Russian drones He may be waiting on a roof by the roadside or may be targeting his car.

The girls stay inside to protect him and his two daughters, and he stays alert; Sometimes he returns home on dark roads without headlights to avoid being seen at night.

after living jobRefusing to cooperate with Russian forces and hiding from them, Horlova, like many other residents, discovered that even after her town was liberated in 2022 the ordeal is not over.

Kherson was one of the first places where Russian forces began using short-range, first-person view (FPV) drones against civilians. Drones are equipped with live feed cameras that allow operators to see and select their targets in real time. The tactic later spread to more than 300 kilometers (185 mi) along the right bank of the Dnipro River in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.

The United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry into Ukraine says the attacks leave little doubt about their intent. In its October report, the commission noted that the attacks had repeatedly killed and injured civilians, destroyed homes and forced thousands to flee, concluding that these amounted to crimes against humanity such as murder and forcible transfers.

“We live in the hope that one day this will finally end,” Horlova said, her voice trembling. “What is important for us is a ceasefire or further separation of the front line. Then our job will be easier.”

Hunting down survivors

Horlova lives in Komyshany, a village just outside Kherson and just 4 kilometers (2½ miles) from the Dnipro River; Here, despite the Ukrainian forces, the level of intense attack remained the same. recapture of the city from Russian occupation In November 2022 — nearly nine months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24 of that year.

But the war did not end there. Instead, it has moved into a phase where the area has effectively become a “human safari,” as locals and the military call it, describing it as a testing ground where people are often the target of drone strikes.

Horlova says FPVs often land on rooftops when their batteries are low and then wait.

“When people, cars or even a cyclist show up, the drone suddenly takes off and releases the explosive,” he said. “They’ve gotten to the point where they even throw them on animals, cows and goats.”

He believes civilians are being hunted to take “revenge” for the celebrations that began with the liberation of Kherson.

The report of the Independent International Investigative Commission on Ukraine states that the attacks spread terror among civilians and violated their right to life and other basic human rights. Investigators determined that Russian units on the occupied left bank of Dnipro carried out the attacks and identified the specific drone units, operators and commanders involved. They also noted that Russian Telegram channels routinely share videos of attacks, often with sarcastic captions and further threats.

The UN commission said it was examining Russia’s allegations that Ukrainian forces carried out drone attacks against civilians in the occupied areas, could not complete its investigation because it did not have access to the region, could not ensure the safety of witnesses and could not receive a response from Russian officials.

invisible dome

Intercepts obtained by The Associated Press from the 310th Separate Naval Electronic Warfare Battalion show that Russian FPV drones appear to be hunting vehicles. Videos show drones flying low over roads and locking onto moving or parked cars (mostly pickups, supply vehicles, sedans, and even clearly marked ambulances) before swooping in for an attack.

The commander of the 310th Battalion, which guards 470 kilometers (about 300 miles) of skies over southern Ukraine, including Kherson, says at least 300 drones fly toward the city every day. The number of drones flying over Kherson in October alone was 9,000.

“This area is like a training ground,” said battalion commander Dmytro Liashok, a 16-year military veteran and one of Ukraine’s early pioneers in electronic warfare. “They bring new Russian crew here to gain experience before sending them elsewhere.” The AP could not independently verify the claim.

He said that despite the abundance of drones (a figure that excludes other types of weapons such as artillery and glider bombs), he managed to neutralize more than 90% of his forces.

Short-range drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian casualties near the frontline, according to the UN human rights office. Local authorities say more than 200 civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in three southern districts since July 2024, with most of the victims being men. Approximately 3000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

During a surprise visit to Kherson in November, Angelina Jolie described the ever-increasing threat as a “heavy presence.”

“There was a moment when we had to pause and wait as a drone flew overhead,” he wrote on Instagram. “I was wearing protective gear and for me it was just a few days. Families here live with this every day.”

human hunting

Nataliia Naumova, 70, who treats drone victims at one of Kherson’s main hospitals, is recovering from an October 20 attack by a Shahed drone carrying a heavier explosive than FPV drones, which left her injured by an explosion in her left leg.

He says the strike took place at night at a school in the village of Inzhenerne, where he was temporarily sheltered, while he was waiting for an evacuation bus that was supposed to arrive the next morning.

“There were so many drones flying over us,” she said, adding that she rarely left the house even after its windows were broken and boarded up. “There people survive, not live. I never thought such a tragedy would happen to me.”

The hospital’s deputy medical chief, Dr. Yevhen Haran says injuries from drone strikes range from amputations to fatal wounds.

“It’s just hunting people. There’s no other name for it,” he said.

He says patients injured in Russian attacks, including drone strikes, come to the hospital every day. Last month alone, it treated 85 inpatients and 105 outpatients, all of whom suffered blast injuries from shelling and drone strikes. It is also the only hospital in the region equipped to deal with the most serious cases.

Haran came under FPV drone fire while driving from nearby Mykolaiv with his wife on August 26. Rescuers stopped their car on the highway, warning that a drone was overhead.

“I parked behind them. The drone circled and on the next pass flew directly to their vehicle, which was the driver’s door,” he recalled. Shrapnel destroyed the car in front, while the car parked behind was protecting it.

He reached the hospital suffering from a hypertension attack and was later treated for a concussion. “Sometimes I still lose words and feel off balance,” she said. “It all happened in less than 10 minutes”

For people in Kherson, the experience of the occupation and the moment the city was liberated still shapes how they withstand constant drone attacks.

“We resisted until liberation, we will resist until peace,” he said.