On a summer day in 2024, Serhii was walking amid war-damaged homes in a suburb of Kherson, Ukraine when he heard a buzzing sound from above. Residents of Kherson know this sound means danger. Serhii took cover behind a wall and spotted a drone flying above him.
Moments later, an explosion ripped through the air. Serhii rushed to the site of the attack and helped three injured people at a bus stop reach the hospital.
Many Kherson residents have experienced similar scenarios amid Russia’s intensifying use of quadcopter drones to attack civilians.
This week, Human Rights Watch released a new 83-page report and web feature documenting at least 45 deliberate drone attacks by Russian forces from June to December 2024 on civilians and civilian objects.
Our investigators analyzed 83 videos showing Russian drone attacks in Kherson and interviewed dozens of victims and witnesses of attacks on residents, their homes, civilian vehicles, ambulances, and other civilian objects.
>> Explore the special feature: Listen, Run, Hide.
We know the attacks spread terror among the civilian population and cause them to fear leaving their homes. The attacks have led to the depopulation of areas being targeted in Kherson.
Belkis Wille, one of the researchers for this report and associate director of HRW’s Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division, puts it another way: “Russian drone operators are able to track their targets, with high-resolution video feeds, leaving little doubt that the intent is to kill, maim, and terrify civilians.”
>> Read and download a copy of the report here.
