A Russian first-person-view drone struck a civilian minibus in the Korabelnyi district of Kherson city on August 19, killing at least four people and injuring five women, in what local officials described as the latest in a relentless campaign of drone attacks on civilians in the frontline city.
Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed the deaths and said the five injured women were receiving hospital treatment. He described the attack as part of a brutal Russian safari against civilians in the city, which sits just across the Dnipro River from Russian-occupied territory.
Thousands of Drones Target Kherson Weekly
The attack came just days after the United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, returned from visiting the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. Fletcher told BBC Radio that Kherson was being hit by thousands of drones each week, with civilians telling him they were the deliberate targets. Russia insists it only attacks legitimate military and military-related targets.
This morning, the Russians hit an ordinary minibus in Kherson with a First-Person-View drone. It is clear that the bus was civilian. The brutal Russian safari against our people in Kherson has long gone beyond what any normal person can imagine.
Kherson is one of the most dangerous cities in Ukraine, with residents facing daily drone strikes as they go about ordinary activities. Russia overran and occupied the province at the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, eventually annexing it by September. A fall 2022 Ukrainian counter-offensive recaptured roughly one-third of the province, including the city of Kherson, but the frontline remains dangerously close.
Overnight Barrage Targets Multiple Regions
The minibus attack occurred against the backdrop of a wider Russian overnight assault. Ukraine’s Air Force reported dealing with airborne attacks on the north, south, and east of the country, involving two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 65 drones and other munitions. Ten projectiles got past air defenses to strike their targets, while falling debris from downed missiles and drones fell in three additional locations.
During the preceding 24 hours, nine other people had been injured in Russian strikes targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas across Kherson province, damaging three apartment blocks, a restaurant, and several cars. President Zelenskyy condemned the attack, writing on X that while partners hesitate over additional supplies of defense equipment, the Russians have gone long beyond the bounds of what is acceptable.
The strike on the minibus adds to a grim pattern of attacks on civilian transport in southern Ukraine. Russian FPV drones have repeatedly targeted minibuses, trains, and other civilian vehicles in frontline areas, with Kherson and Nikopol among the hardest-hit cities. Human rights organizations have documented hundreds of such incidents since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Sources: UPI; Kyiv Independent; UNITED24 Media; UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher via BBC Radio
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