Russian Drone 'Human Safari' Targets Ukrainian Children
In the quiet neighborhoods of southern Ukraine's Kherson region, children playing football in their yards have become unwitting targets in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Russian drone pilots, operating from afar, have reportedly turned these innocent scenes into hunting grounds, stalking young Ukrainians with precision-guided explosives. This chilling tactic, described by local residents as a "human safari," reveals a cold mechanization of warfare that blurs the line between combat and terror, as reported by the Daily Express.
A Deadly Game of Hide and Seek
Catherine Kostryka, a Kherson resident, recounted the harrowing reality of daily life under the shadow of these drones. According to the Daily Express, she described how Russian operators deliberately target civilians, including children, with little regard for their innocence.
"If you look through Russian sources, their own Telegram channels and videos, their own propaganda. .. They call what is happening here a 'safari'. These drone operators are trained on civilians ... A few weeks ago, they targeted a one-year-old child. The other day, they targeted women at the bus station," Kostryka asserted. When asked about claims that the drones are programmed to locate undercover Ukrainian solides, Kostryka responded saying, "I could understand that if it is a bulky-looking man, but when it's a seven-year-old boy playing football in the garden with his friends, I don't believe this is true." She continued, "It happened the other day, a few kids were playing in the garden and the drone came and just dropped the weapon on them." Kostryka insisted the attack was not a mistake or a case of misidentification, but a deliberate act of violence against noncombatants.
The drones, often camouflaged and capable of remaining stationary on rooftops, wait patiently for their prey. Kostryka described one case where a man returning from work was nearly killed when a drone operator flew a weapon toward him. She claimed the man's backpack absorbed much of the blast, but that he suffered severe burns and required plastic surgery. These attacks have reportedly forced Ukrainians into a state of constant vigilance, where stepping outside means scanning the skies and the ground for hidden dangers.
A Campaign of Fear and Suffering
The United Nations has condemned these drone strikes, concluding in a recent independent report that Russian armed forces have "committed murder of civilians as crimes against humanity using drones," according to the Daily Express. The report detailed how Russian forces have used real-time video feeds from drones to identify and target civilians, resulting in nearly 150 deaths and hundreds of injuries in Kherson and surrounding areas. Emergency services and ambulances have also reportedly been hit, further crippling the region's ability to respond to the crisis.
This campaign of terror extends beyond Kherson. On a recent Sunday in September 2025, Russia launched its largest aerial assault since the full-scale invasion began, deploying over 800 drones and missiles across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, as reported by The Guardian. The attack reportedly struck a key government building in Kyiv for the first time, setting it ablaze and killing at least three people, including a mother and her infant child. The pressure wave from a drone explosion reportedly threw the mother and baby onto the street, a grim testament to the indiscriminate nature of the assault.
The Human Toll in Kyiv and Beyond
The Ukrainian capital bore the brunt of this unprecedented strike. Smoke reportedly billowed from the roof of the cabinet building, home to the offices of Ukraine's ministers, as firefighters battled the flames. The attack injured dozens and left scores of buildings damaged or ablaze. Kyiv's mayor reported that a pregnant woman was among the injured, while an elderly woman died in a bomb shelter, as reported by The Guardian. The destruction extended to residential buildings, with several floors of a nine-story apartment complex partially destroyed and fires ignited by falling drone debris.
Other cities, including Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih, also experienced explosions and damage. In Zaporizhzhia, at least 15 people were injured in a drone strike that destroyed residential buildings. The widespread nature of the attack underscores the scale and intensity of Russia's aerial campaign, which Ukrainian forces intercepted with considerable success, shooting down hundreds of drones and missiles.
Global Reactions and the Road Ahead
The assault drew swift condemnation from world leaders. According to The Guardian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack "a deliberate crime and prolongation of the war," urging stronger international sanctions against Russia, particularly targeting its oil and gas exports. He reportedly coordinated with French President Emmanuel Macron to prepare new defensive measures. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the strikes "cowardly" and said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "not serious about peace."
U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently met with Putin in Alaska, reportedly expressed readiness to escalate sanctions but stopped short of detailing specific actions. He acknowledged the severity of the attack and said he was "not happy" about the ongoing war, despite maintaining that he had been tough on Putin, as reported by the Daily Express. The U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the need for both American and European efforts to increase pressure on Russia's economy saying, "If the US and the EU can come in to more sanctions, secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will be in full collapse,' as reported by The Guardian.
The Cold Mechanization of Modern Warfare
What emerges from these events is a stark picture of modern conflict, where technology enables a detached form of violence. The reported use of first-person view (FPV) drones to stalk and attack civilians, including children, transforms warfare into a remote-controlled hunt. Operators, shielded from the human cost, engage in acts that human rights observers have condemned as war crimes. The psychological impact on Ukrainian civilians is profound, as ordinary activities like playing outside or walking home become exercises in survival.
This mechanization of suffering challenges traditional notions of combat and accountability. It raises urgent questions about the rules of engagement and the protection of noncombatants in an era where drones and missiles can be launched with deadly precision from thousands of miles away.
A Call for Accountability
As the conflict grinds on, the international community faces mounting pressure to respond decisively. The targeting of Ukraine's most vulnerable — children, mothers, and civilians — demands not only condemnation but concrete action. Sanctions, diplomatic efforts, and support for Ukraine's defense are critical components of a response that must balance geopolitical realities with the imperative to uphold human rights.
For Ukrainians like Catherine Kostryka, the hope is that their resilience and the world's outrage will eventually turn the tide. "If we are in a safari, we are the lions who are going to eventually eat the hunter," she said, as reported by the Daily Express — embodying a spirit of defiance amid the drones of terror.
In the shadow of these attacks, the human cost of drone warfare is laid bare. The images of burning buildings, shattered lives, and grieving families call for a reckoning. The drones may fly silently, but their impact echoes loudly across Ukraine and the world.
References: Russian drone 'hunt' targets Ukrainian children who are 'playing football' - World News | Largest Russian air attack of war sets fire to Ukrainian cabinet building | Trump will talk to Putin 'soon' after Russia launches 'largest attack'
