Judul : Russia's Drone Strikes Labeled Crimes Against Humanity by UN
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Russia's Drone Strikes Labeled Crimes Against Humanity by UN
For residents in the Kherson area, which was taken over by Russia and then reclaimed by Ukraine, the past year has been marked by a constant wave of aerial terror. Ongoing Russian drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) strikes have occurred continuously throughout the day. Between August and September last year, the Kherson region experienced an average of more than 2,500 drone attacks weekly. A source from the regional military administration reported that 847 civilians were impacted during the first seven months of this year, including 79 deaths.
Nearby cities like the Dnipro District and Kherson are confronted with Russian military positions situated across the Dnipro River. The Russian forces have kept attacking the region, and for about a year now, they have started using drones (UAVs) extensively. They have also shared footage of their "human hunting" activities on social media platforms. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has labeled these actions as "crimes against humanity."
Tetiana Karmagina, 66, resides close to the riverbank. On March 30, she stepped outside to look for her dog and noticed a quiet drone hovering above near a crossroads close to her residence. She said, "The drone was on top of my house and in the trees. It flew away as soon as I appeared. I saw a red light and immediately sensed a bomb would fall—and it did."
The explosion hit exactly at Karmagina's feet. Her right foot was entirely cut off, and her left foot suffered serious damage from fragments. As she had forgotten her mobile phone at home, she had to move back on her hands and knees. She mentioned, "I believe I crawled for approximately an hour and a half," and added, "My dog didn't recognize me at the door and bit my hand. The door was locked, so it took a long time to open it." She had surgery to remove her right leg below the knee and is currently getting ready to receive a prosthetic leg. Before the accident, Karmagina used to walk 10 kilometers every day. Now, that seems like a tale from a faraway time.
Russia has shared drone attacks on civilians on social media. In September 2024, a video captured by a drone was posted on a Russian Telegram channel. It depicted a person riding a bicycle along a country road. The caption labeled the person as a "Ukrainian soldier" who was filmed by a Russian pilot before being targeted with ammunition.
Anastasiya Pavlenko, 24, identified herself in the video. She is a mother of two from Antonivka who has never served in the military. On that day, she was just waiting by the road after missing a bus. "A drone came from the roof and started chasing me," she explained. "I kept turning the bicycle handlebars left and right. As there was a ditch on the right, I turned left, and at that moment, the drone flew next to me, pointed its camera, and dropped some ammunition."
Anastasiya sustained serious injuries due to the explosion and had several operations to extract shrapnel. A fragment is still lodged in her leg. She relies on a cane for walking and a wheelchair when the pain becomes unbearable. Recently, medical professionals found another piece of shrapnel in her lung.
◇ Range and Techniques of Attacks
In the initial seven months of 2025, the Russian military launched 16,322 attack drones of different kinds in the Ukrainian-claimed areas of the Kherson region. A total of 847 civilians were impacted. Of these, 79 lost their lives. 768 individuals were injured, among them 11 children. In August, the frequency of attacks rose significantly, with as many as 2,500 drones deployed weekly. At night, the drones employ thermal imaging cameras. Although Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down 80% of them, drone strikes during the past one and a half months resulted in 15 deaths and 118 injuries. In the second half of 2024, before this period, 47 residents were killed and 578 were injured, including 8 children.
Residents reported that Russian drones frequently use a "double attack" strategy, operating in pairs. One drone releases explosives targeting an individual, while the other obstructs anyone attempting to reach the injured. This often delays emergency services from arriving promptly.
Oleksiy Alferov, a 65-year-old paramedic, faced this situation directly. In April, his team was called to respond to an incident where someone had been hurt by a drone attack. They placed the injured individual in the ambulance and began heading to the hospital. After covering approximately 300 meters, an explosion took place. "The drone that hit us was probably in standby mode," he mentioned. "It struck the passenger seat directly. The vehicle was entirely destroyed." The ambulance clearly had medical symbols displayed.
◇ United Nations Inquiry Finds 'Crimes Against Humanity'
As of December 2024, the cancer hospital in the Kherson region had provided treatment to around 34,000 cancer patients. Nevertheless, starting from autumn 2024, Russian drones have frequently been spotted, attacking personnel and patients, which has hindered medical services. Following the death of a researcher in a drone strike on November 26, 2024, the team opted to move. A hospital representative mentioned, "The Russian side shared images of our hospital on a Telegram channel and wrote, 'There were soldiers there.' However, our hospital only had cancer patients and medical staff."
In May, the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine released a report stating that the Russian military carried out "crimes against humanity" by killing and targeting civilians with the aim of "spreading terror and forcibly relocating thousands of residents." The report highlighted that the sharing of videos showing attacks and threatening messages about future assaults increased public anxiety. It also mentioned that videos of civilian casualties and injuries shared on Russian Telegram channels represent "war crimes that insult human dignity."
※This piece was authored by the Public Interest Journalism Laboratory (PIJL) as part of 'The Reckoning Project,' a program spearheaded by Ukrainian and global journalists, researchers, and legal experts. PIJL has been recording and examining war crimes that occurred during Russia's invasion of Ukraine since March 2022.
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