MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
People in Kherson in southern Ukraine say Russian soldiers are using remote-controlled attack drones to hunt civilians, targeting people for sport and to spread terror. Officials there tell NPR the drone attacks escalated last summer and are now a daily threat. NPR's Brian Mann reports from Kherson.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: It's a beautiful winter morning when I arrive at a market square in Kherson. People are out buying groceries, walking their dogs. The sky is cloudless. But when I meet Svitlana Budiukh, she tells me that blue sky overhead is terrifying.
SVITLANA BUDIUKH: (Through interpreter) I've experienced it myself. The Russian drones hunt people 24/7. It's like a safari. In the summer, we could hide under the green trees. But now, in winter, the leaves have fallen, and we are more exposed.
MANN: From the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Kherson was a dangerous place. The city, once home to a quarter-million people, was occupied by Russian soldiers before Ukraine's army pushed them out in November 2022. But the Russians didn't go far. Russian forces still occupy the far bank of the Dnipro River, just a few miles away. They use artillery to attack Kherson daily. Then, last summer, the drone attacks got worse. Budiukh's friend, Natalia Savchenko, speaks up.
NATALIA SAVCHENKO: (Through interpreter) When it happens, you look for anywhere to hide. We run under the trees or into a shed or a garage - my God, anywhere we could find.
MANN: At least 60,000 Ukrainians still live here. And people I meet tell me the threat from small, remote-controlled drones dropping grenades is constant. One of Savchenko's sons was injured in September.
SAVCHENKO: (Through interpreter) A drone threw an incendiary bomb at my son's feet. He was in the hospital for two months. His legs are badly injured.
MANN: Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians, which would be a war crime under international law. NPR was unable to confirm these Russian drone attacks on civilians are intentional, but local authorities say they believe the evidence is overwhelming. They say there have been thousands of attacks since summer and hundreds of civilian injuries. Roman Kostenko, a member of Ukraine's parliament from Kherson with close ties to the military, says the attacks are an act of terror and also a kind of target practice.
ROMAN KOSTENKO: Russia used it for training their young pilot on Ukrainian civilian people.
MANN: I hear the same from Andrii Kovanyi, a spokesman for Kherson's police department.
ANDRII KOVANYI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
MANN: "They hunt us even when it's clear it's a woman or an elderly person or an emergency rescue vehicle," Kovanyi says. He says, "Russians don't hide the fact they're targeting civilians. They post about it online on social media," he says.
(SOUNDBITE OF AIR RAID SIREN)
MANN: As we talk, the air raid siren sounds, warning of another Russian attack. Kovanyi mentioned social media. People in Kherson say this is one of the most chilling aspects of Russia's drone attacks. After appearing to target civilians, Russian soldiers post about it online. NPR reviewed posts where Russians appear to brag about the violence, warning that everyone in Kherson is fair game. Danil Tatarinov runs an internet company located close to the Dnipro River, closer to Russian drone pilots.
(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSIONS)
MANN: As we meet outside his shop, we hear the sound of distant Russian artillery, so he quickly ushers me inside.
DANIL TATARINOV: (Speaking Ukrainian).
MANN: "My own car was damaged in a drone attack," Tatarinov tells me. "I found video of it on Russian social media channels."
Do you have this video on your phone now? Could you show it to me?
Video, apparently captured by a Russian attack drone, posted with a music soundtrack, shows a civilian car fleeing as a grenade is dropped. It's a near miss.
That's your car.
Tatarinov reads the video's caption, written in Russian. "We didn't get him this time," it says, "but the hunt continues."
Brian Mann, NPR News, Kherson.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
