Ukraine Accuses Russia of Drone War Crime
PHOTO CAPTION: A drone circles over a man at a market in Kherson, southern Ukraine, before detonating nearby, in an incident that Ukrainian authorities said occurred on August 4, 2026, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in this still image obtained from a handout video on August 4, 2026. KHERSON REGIONAL MILITARY ADMINISTRATION/Handout via REUTERS
Aug. 4 — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of committing a war crime Tuesday after authorities released video showing a drone pursuing and wounding a street vendor in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.
Footage released by Ukrainian police shows the drone following an unidentified man around a van being used as a market stand.
The drone explodes nearby after the man dives behind the vehicle for cover.
Police said the vendor, a man in his 50s, survived but suffered shrapnel wounds and shock.
Reuters verified the location using buildings, the road layout and vegetation that matched satellite and archival imagery.
Reuters could not independently confirm the exact date of the incident. Ukrainian police and Sybiha said it occurred Tuesday.
Sybiha said on Telegram that the attack was part of what he described as a deliberate Russian campaign to frighten civilians.
“This barbaric Russian war crime in Kherson demands international condemnation and justice, but thousands of similar crimes never come to the public eye,” he said.
Sybiha said the drone operator would have known that the target was a civilian and described the operator as a “sadist.”
He called for “a powerful defence and deterrence package for Ukraine, and reliable, guaranteed security.”
Three killed in Sumy strikes
Two children and an elderly woman were killed in overnight Russian guided-bomb strikes on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Telegram.
In July, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it documented 1,396 civilian deaths and 7,978 injuries during the first six months of 2026.
That represented a 37% increase from 2025 and more than twice the figures recorded in 2024, the mission said.
It attributed the rise primarily to intensified Russian long-range missile and drone attacks against cities far from the front lines.
Ukraine also attacks Russia with drones and long-range missiles. Russian authorities say many of those strikes have caused civilian casualties.
Russia accused Ukraine of terrorism Monday after seven people, including three children, were killed and 60 injured at the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik.
Russia described the incident as a deliberate Ukrainian drone attack against civilians.
Russia and Ukraine both deny deliberately targeting civilians in the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
(Source: Reuters)
