A video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shows a Russian drone hunting down and attacking a civilian street vendor in southern Ukraine, an incident he described as a 'human safari.' The footage, geolocated to the Tavriiskyi district in northern Kherson, depicts the drone pursuing the man as he attempts to evade it around a white van before it swoops down and detonates.

The vendor, identified as Yuriy, a 52-year-old street vegetable seller, sustained multiple shrapnel wounds, concussion, and trauma. He recounted hearing the drone's distinctive buzzing sound and seeing his wife run away before it turned its attention to him. Yuriy held up garlic towards the drone's camera, attempting to show the operator he was a civilian vendor, displaying tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants.

President Zelensky posted the video on Telegram, stating it demonstrated Russia's descent into madness and that Russian soldiers were "enjoying killings and tormenting people." Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the attack as a "barbaric war crime" and a "deliberate and systemic Russian strategy" aimed at terrifying civilians in front-line areas.

This type of attack, sometimes referred to as a 'human safari,' has been documented as a tactic used by Russian forces to intimidate residents in areas close to the front lines. The videos captured by the drones are often disseminated online, serving to amplify the terror.

According to a doctor, the vendor survived the attack with non-life-threatening injuries. The Kherson regional governor later released a video of Yuriy speaking from his hospital bed, detailing the harrowing experience.

BBC Verify confirmed the video's location in a market area in Kherson. The earliest known public copy of the video was shared by a pro-Ukrainian Instagram account. Such attacks have been a recurring issue in Kherson, with a 2025 UN report noting the recurrent killing and injuring of civilians by Russian armed forces using drones.

The UN has previously stated that posting videos of civilians being killed and injured constitutes the war crime of "outrages upon personal dignity." Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, denies targeting civilians.

This incident highlights ongoing concerns about the targeting of civilians in the conflict and has prompted calls for international condemnation of Russia's tactics.