Kherson Under Drone Siege: What Business Insider Reports About Russia’s Attacks on Civilians

Business Insider describes a video showing an explosive drone circling a vegetable seller’s stall near Kherson before detonating beside a van. The vendor, identified as Yuriy, survived the August 4 attack but suffered multiple shrapnel wounds and a concussion.

The report says the footage stood out not because the attack was unusual, but because it was captured so clearly. Residents say the danger is constant and unpredictable.

According to the report, WELT’s reporting in Kherson since late 2024 documented Russian drone pilots targeting people in the city, including civilians and soldiers. Cars, buses, ambulances, medical personnel, and pedestrians have been hit, residents and local officials said.

In Ukraine, these attacks have become known as Russia’s “human safari.” The phrase reflects how residents describe being watched, pursued, and attacked by drones during ordinary daily activities.

Official statistics provided to WELT by Alexander Tolokonnikov, a spokesman for Kherson’s military administration, show a rising reported toll from Russian drone attacks in the Kherson region. The figures listed four killed and 28 wounded in January, two killed and 53 wounded in February, seven killed and 66 wounded in March, 12 killed and 147 wounded in April, 11 killed and 201 wounded in May, and 10 killed and 179 wounded in June.

July saw the largest reported surge: 26 people killed and 421 wounded in one month. Business Insider notes that WELT could not independently verify every individual case, while describing the broader trend as unmistakable.

Col. Markus Reisner, an Austrian military officer, told WELT that flying explosive-laden drones directly into civilians or ambulances is “clearly a war crime.” He said he believes Russia is trying to drive the population away from the other side of the Dnipro River and make the area uninhabitable.

Kherson was occupied by Russian forces early in the full-scale invasion, then liberated by Ukraine in November 2022 after Russian forces retreated across the Dnipro. Since then, the city has remained under fire, and Business Insider reports that daily life is increasingly moving underground as only around 50,000 to 60,000 residents remain.