The Wall Street Journal reports that Russian forces constantly attack civilians in Kherson with drones. This has forced residents to avoid moving about the city.
The situation in Kherson Oblast is dire, as Russian forces continue to launch unrelenting attacks on the region. This is especially true in the city Kherson, which has been liberated from occupation since November 2022. Residents of Kherson Oblast are now facing increased drone attacks and shelling from across Dnipro River despite its liberation. Seven civilians were killed and several others injured in a Russian artillery attack on a local marketplace in October 2024. As civilian casualties increase and essential services are disrupted, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
Olha Chernyshova is a 38-year old grocery store clerk from Kherson. She shared that she stays home more often because she has experienced two drone attacks. She was outside when she heard the buzzing of a FPV drone. She ran inside her house just in time to avoid a grenade hitting her car and causing minor injuries. She had to hide beneath a tree a few weeks later to avoid being seen by another drone. She watched from her window at the end of October as a drone dropped an explosive grenade onto a nearby car.
The report states that Kherson’s population, which was 270,000 before Russia’s “all-out” attack, is now less than a quarter. Local authorities report that more than 7,000 drone strikes have been carried out in the city since the beginning July, resulting nearly 600 civilian injuries, and 50 deaths.
The Wall Street Journal points out that these drone strikes on civilians indicate an intent to kill despite Moscow’s claim that they target military objectives. Some residents think that Russians are using civilians to train drone pilots.
Videos posted on Russian social networks show drones following pedestrians for several blocks, before dropping grenades. Ukrainian sources have shared videos of Russian drones carrying explosives flying near residential building.
These attacks have changed the lives of Kherson residents forever. They avoid going out unnecessarily and stand under trees whenever possible. They avoid driving and prefer to walk so they can quickly hide if a drone appeared.
Volodymyr Tiktor, the representative of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, confirms it is difficult to move around in the city. Russian drones also target rescue vehicles. A drone recently struck the roof of an artillery damaged building, causing a spinal injury to one worker and shrapnel injuries to another.
To combat these Russian drones vehicles equipped with antidrone systems patrol city. Authorities are urging residents to leave the city, but it is difficult to guarantee safety in these conditions.
The Russian shelling of Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast on October 24 morning injured two civilian women. This adds to the casualties of the previous day’s strikes, which killed two people and wounded 14 others.
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