Human safari (terror campaign)

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Human safari
Part of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Location Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
DateMay 2024–present
TargetUkrainian civilians
PerpetratorsRussia

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. [1]

Contents

Background and start of widespread civilian targeting by Russian drones

The Ukrainian city 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 besieged 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. [2]

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. [2] 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. [1]

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. [3]

Human safari

Following the continued deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians, Kherson locals started referring to the terror campaign as a "human safari". [1] [4] [5]

Examples and casualties

A DJI Mavic, one of the types of drones used to target civilians DJI - Drohne Mavic 3.JPG
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 [7] [8] 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. [9]

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. [1] Local volunteers and experts have reported "double tap" strikes hitting first responders and sappers, and preventing firefighters from responding. [8]

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". [1]

In another example, footage shared publicly by Russian forces showed an explosive being dropped on a UN refugee agency vehicle. [10]

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. [9]

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. [1] [2] [8]

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. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kherson</span> City in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine

Kherson is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-building industry and is a regional economic centre. At the beginning of 2022, its population was estimated at 279,131.

Drone warfare is a form of warfare using robots. Robot types include unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weaponized commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned surface vehicles, and ground based drones. The United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, China, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, Italy, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Poland are known to have manufactured operational UCAVs as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian war crimes</span> Violations of the laws of war committed by the Russian Federation

Russian war crimes are violations of international criminal law including war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide which the official armed and paramilitary forces of Russia have committed or been accused of committing since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, as well as the aiding and abetting of crimes by proto-statelets or puppet statelets which are armed and financed by Russia, including the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic. These have included murder, torture, terror, persecution, deportation and forced transfer, enforced disappearance, child abductions, rape, looting, unlawful confinement, inhumane acts, unlawful airstrikes and attacks against civilian objects, use of banned chemical weapons, and wanton destruction.

Casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian War include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200–14,400 military and civilian deaths during the War in Donbas, and up to 1,000,000 estimated casualties during the Russian invasion of Ukraine till mid-September 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian invasion of Ukraine</span> Ongoing armed conflict in Eastern Europe

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014. The invasion, the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. As of 2024, Russian troops occupy about 20% of Ukraine. From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians had been internally displaced and more than 8.2 million had fled the country by April 2023, creating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kherson</span> Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The battle of Kherson began on 24 February 2022, as part of the southern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city of Kherson was captured by Russian forces on 1 March 2022. Russia then began a military occupation of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War crimes in the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span>

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian military and authorities have committed war crimes, such as deliberate attacks against civilian targets, including on hospitals, medical facilities and on the energy grid; indiscriminate attacks on densely-populated areas; the abduction, torture and murder of civilians; forced deportations; sexual violence; destruction of cultural heritage; and the killing and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast</span> Military occupation and annexation by Russia

The ongoing military occupation of Ukraine's Kherson Oblast by Russian forces began on 2 March 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine as part of the southern Ukraine campaign. It was administrated under a Russian-controlled military-civilian administration until 30 September 2022, when it was illegally annexed to become an unrecognized federal subject of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span> Reported cross-border incidents in Western Russia

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During the Russian invasion of Ukraine back in early 2022, Russia occupied vast portions of the territory of Ukraine, having already occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as well as all of Crimea since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2014. Partisan groups began to be organized in mid-2022. These groups have been involved in intelligence-gathering, sabotage, and assassinations. Much of their activity has taken place in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span>

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This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 8 April 2022, when the area of heavy fighting shifted to the south and east of Ukraine, to 28 August 2022, the day before Ukraine announced the start of its Kherson counteroffensive.

This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 29 August 2022, when Ukraine's Kherson counteroffensive started, to 11 November 2022 when Ukrainian troops retook Kherson. In between, Ukraine launched a successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast. Starting in October, Russia began a campaign of massive strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudchany</span> Village in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimea attacks (2022–present)</span> Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure (2022–present)</span> Wave of Russian attacks during its invasion of Ukraine

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian strikes on hospitals during the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span>

During the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine The Russian Military has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian medical facilities, hospitals, clinics, and ambulances, and health workers. The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom stated that Russia was prioritizing attacks on Ukrainian medical facilities as a method of warfare, often striking these, as well as power infrastructure with Iranian-made drones such as Shahed 131, Shahed 136.

This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 1 September to 30 November 2023 during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.

This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 1 August 2024 to the present day.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hambling, David (11 October 2024). "Terrifying 'Human Safari' In Kherson As Russian Drones Hunt Civilians". Forbes. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Zivo, Adam (9 October 2024). "Russian drones are hunting civilians in Ukraine". National Post. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Horton, Alex; Korolchuk, Serhii (31 October 2024). "Russian drones hunt civilians in streets of southern Ukrainian city". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  4. ↑ "'Human safari': Kherson residents on constant drone warfare". ABC listen. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Zabrisky, Zarina (8 October 2024). "Analysis: Sadistic 'Human Safari': Russia's Drone Warfare in Kherson". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  6. ↑ Mehrara, Maya (5 December 2024). "Russia's deadly "human safari" in Kherson approaches grim milestone". Newsweek. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Kelly, Kieran (5 October 2024). "Russian drones hunt civilians in Kherson 'safari'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Zabrisky, Zarina (2 October 2024). "'Human safari' – Kherson civilians hunted down by Russian drones". Yahoo News. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 Limaye, Yogita (31 October 2024). "Drone strikes on civilians suggest new Russian terror tactic in Ukraine". BBC. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  10. ↑ ""Human safaris" and havoc on the "home front": How Russian soldiers kill Ukrainian civilians, fellow Russians". The Insider. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
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