Human safari (terror campaign)

Not to be confused with Human zoo.

Human safari
Part of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Location	Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
Date	May 2024–present
Target	Ukrainian civilians
Deaths	150 civilians (as of May 2025, per UN report)
Perpetrators	Russia
Motive	Anti-Ukrainian sentiment, Russian irredentism

Human safari is a term used to describe a Russian deliberate terror campaign in Kherson, Ukraine which involves the use of drones to purposefully target Ukrainian civilians during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Due to these actions, a UN report found the Russian Armed Forces guilty of murder, forced transfer, terror, attacks on civilians and outrages upon personal dignity which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Background and start of widespread civilian targeting by Russian drones

The Ukrainian city of Kherson had previously been occupied by Russia in 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but was later liberated by Ukrainian forces. Following the liberation, Russian forces positioned across the river less than a kilometer away from the shores of the city and targeted residents with sniper, missile and artillery attacks. Despite this, according to freelance journalist Zarina Zabrisky, parts of the city remained "somewhat safe" as residents managed to hide from Russian attacks by moving behind their buildings or to north-facing apartments.

In late May 2024, Russians started sending in small drones instead to attack the city, with Zabrisky saying that she couldn't recognize the city by July because the number of attacks which had "changed the dynamics of life completely", adding that it was not safe to step outside. According to the Kyiv Post, half of the Kherson casualties in July and August were caused by drones, with up to 100 attacks per day.

Because of the close proximity of Russian forces enabling the use of drones in the attacks, the Washington Post described the situation in Kherson as atypical, since in the rest of Ukraine, Russia must use longer-range weapons to hit civilians. Kherson locals have described the Russian strikes from across the river as a kind of "punishment", because Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russia to be liberated by Ukrainian forces.

Roman Mrochko, the head of the military authority in Kherson, suggested that the Russians are training drone pilots on Kherson's civilians.

Human safari

Following the continued deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians, Kherson locals started referring to the terror campaign as a "human safari".

Examples and casualties

A DJI Mavic, one of the types of drones used to target civilians

A representative from the Kherson military administration said nearly half of the 547 casualties reported from 1 July to 9 September 2024 were caused by drones. Ukraine's TSN news programme reported a record high of 330 drone drone strikes and 224 explosive drops on 9 September On 31 October, the military administration said that 30 civilians had been killed by drone attacks in Kherson since 1 July. In the same period, more than 5,000 drone attacks had been recorded resulting in over 400 injured civilians.

Civilian targets have included people waiting at bus stops, commuters, children playing in parks, schools, public buses, civilian cars, and ambulances. Russian drones using a napalm-like mixture to burn down entire neighbourhoods have also been reported. Local volunteers and experts have reported "double tap" strikes hitting first responders and sappers, and preventing firefighters from responding.

In what was described as a "typical case" by Forbes, a mother-of-two was cycling home when she was spotted by a Russian drone, as she started pedaling as fast as she could she realized that the drone had started following her, eventually it dropped a grenade which brushed the woman's body before exploding at her feet, injuring her with shrapnel and leaving her unable to walk. Imagery of the attack was posted on a Russian Telegram with a winking face emoji and a comment incorrectly describing her as a "soldier".

In another example, footage shared publicly by Russian forces showed an explosive being dropped on a UN refugee agency vehicle.

The BBC described a man having recently returned home from work stepping into his yard outside, lighting a cigarette and chatting with his neighbour before they heard the sound of a drone buzzing. The man's wife says she saw him run and take cover as the drone dropped a grenade, but he died at the scene because shrapnel had pierced his heart.

In January 2025, Iryna Sokur, director of the Kherson Oncological Hospital, described drone attacks on patients, hospital staff and ambulances. Two ambulances were burnt on 11 November 2024, with a third being struck the next day. On 26 November, the head of the hospital lab was killed on her way to work. She also described one man being killed in his car while waiting in the parking lot to pick up a relative after their treatment. Sokur has herself been chased by drones twice. In early winter, almost all patients were evacuated as the situation became untenable, and the hospital was eventually destroyed by two Russian glide bombs on 20 December.

Sharing of footage on social media and gathering of funds for drones by Russian civilians

The footage captured during the attacks on Ukrainian civilians are shared and celebrated on Russian social media channels. Zabrisky said that many of the drones are purchased through fundraisers organized by Russian civilians, and Russian soldiers then share their drone footage showcasing Ukrainian deaths online so that supporters of the fundraisers can see their "return on investment". Pop music is sometimes added to the footage.

The BBC identified a Telegram channel with the earliest public footage of some of the drone attacks, each of the videos were posted with goading and threats to the Ukrainian public. Injured people were also insulted being called "pigs", and in one instance mocked for being a woman. The same account had also shared images of drones and other equipment, thanking people for donations.

On 23 March 2025 Ukrainian channel "Telebachenia Toronto" published an investigation into the identities of the most prominent Russian UAV pilots engaged in the "human safari" who came out to be Sergei Iordan (‘Malakhit’), Eduard Yust ( ‘Moisey’), both from 8. Artillery Regiment, Yegor Afanasenkov (22. Brigade GRU) and Aleksandr Sheptura (205. Brigade).

UN report

A May 2025 report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) examined these crimes in Kherson and found the Russian Armed Forces guilty of murder, forced transfer, attacks on civilians and outrages upon personal dignity which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The attacks were deemed widspread and aimed against the civilian population. The report concluded:

The civilian population in the areas affected by drone attacks lives in constant fear. Residents take risks every time they go outside, as they fear being struck by drones. Many wait for cloudy days to go out, or seek cover under trees, where possible. Fear is further induced by frequent messages posted on Telegram, such as “Get out of the city before the leaves fall, you who are destined to die.” The circumstances of the attacks, the videos, and the explicit threatening text posts demonstrate that Russian armed forces and those supporting them have committed acts or threats of violence for the primary purpose of spreading terror among the civilian population, in violation of international humanitarian law. Referring to Russian soldiers, a senior health professional of a hospital in Kherson said: "They are simply chasing and hunting civilians who are on their way to work or walking their dogs. They drop explosives from drones like it is a video game.” The scale and intensity of the drone attacks against civilians and civilian objects as well as the destruction of houses and basic infrastructure, the targeting of all means of transport, and attacks against emergency and rescue services, have all rendered the affected areas unliveable and left many residents with no other choice than to flee. The recurrent drone attacks, the widely disseminated videos showing them, and numerous posts explicitly exhorting the population to leave suggest a coordinated state policy, on the part of the Russian authorities, to force the population of Kherson Province to leave the area. The Commission therefore concludes that Russian armed forces may have committed the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population.

See also

• Russian war crimes
• Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine