A Russian first-person-view (FPV) drone chased down and struck a civilian vendor at an open-air market in Kherson, according to video verified and released Tuesday by Ukraine’s National Police. The footage shows the drone tracking the 52-year-old man as he attempted to flee before detonating beside him, leaving him with blast injuries, shrapnel wounds and a concussion. He survived and is receiving medical treatment, police said.
Unlike indirect fire or unguided munitions, FPV drones transmit a continuous first-person video feed to a ground operator until impact. That allows the operator to observe and adjust the drone’s flight in real time, making attacks highly discriminate in a technical sense. In this case, the verified footage appears to show the drone deliberately pursuing an identifiable individual rather than striking an area target.
Kherson’s geography compounds the threat. The city lies on the western bank of the Dnipro River opposite Russian-held territory, placing much of the urban area within operational range of small FPV drones launched from positions across the river. That proximity has enabled repeated drone attacks on residential neighborhoods, markets, civilian vehicles and emergency responders, making Kherson one of Ukraine’s most heavily targeted cities for short-range drone warfare.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack “a deliberate Russian war crime,” while police said they had opened criminal proceedings into alleged violations of the laws and customs of war. The incident adds to a growing body of documented attacks that Ukrainian authorities and international monitors say have increasingly exposed civilians in Kherson to deliberate drone strikes. Whether this specific incident constitutes a war crime will ultimately be determined through formal investigation and any subsequent judicial proceedings.
Reuters said it independently verified the video’s location and authenticity but could not determine who was operating the drone. The agency also reported there was no indication the victim was engaged in military activity at the time of the attack. Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.
