Video shows Russian drone hunting Ukrainian market vendor in alleged war crime

WorldPolitics
4 Aug 2026 • 10:36 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Video shows Russian drone hunting Ukrainian market vendor in alleged war crime

  • Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of committing a war crime after footage emerged showing a drone deliberately targeting a civilian street vendor in Kherson.
  • The video depicts a 52-year-old man being pursued by a drone before it detonates near him, leaving him with shrapnel, concussion and blast injuries, prompting Sybiha to label the pilot a 'sadist' and demand international justice.
  • The incident comes amidst a significant increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine, with the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission reporting 1,396 deaths and 7,978 injuries in the first half of 2026, a surge attributed to intensifying Russian long-range missile and drone strikes on urban centres.
  • Further civilian deaths were reported in Sumy, where an elderly woman and two children were killed overnight by Russian guided bomb strikes, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov.
  • Conversely, Russia has also accused Ukraine of causing civilian casualties, citing a drone debris incident on a crowded beach in Gelendzhik that reportedly killed seven, though Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation blamed Russian air defence for the incident, with both nations denying intentionally targeting civilians.

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