Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 16,000 criminal proceedings have been recorded for attacks by short-range drones on civilians. Almost 7,000 people have been affected, including 179 children. This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, reacting to the "hunting" of a Russian drone targeting a civilian in Kherson, reports UNN.
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The Prosecutor General reminded that this morning at a regular market in Kherson, a Russian drone attacked a 52-year-old vendor. It circled. Waited. And struck. Not at a military object. Not at equipment. At a civilian who had no connection to the army.
The man sustained a blast injury, concussion, and shrapnel wounds; he was provided medical assistance. Under the procedural supervision of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation has been launched into the fact of a war crime.
Kravchenko emphasized that this is not an isolated case of cruelty by an individual operator of the Russian Armed Forces. Remote killings of civilians using FPV drones have become a method of terror in frontline territories. Russia commits violations and disregard for all norms of international humanitarian law systematically, deliberately, and demonstratively.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 16,000 criminal proceedings have been registered for attacks by short-range drones on civilians. The largest number of such crimes is in Kherson, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy regions. In 2022-2023, 187 such crimes were recorded. In 2024, their number increased 14 times – to 2,685. In 2025 – almost three times more, to 7,787. This is not a coincidence or a "side effect" of hostilities. This is the chosen tactic of Russian criminals, which continues to this day. Since the beginning of 2026, 2,614 such crimes have already been recorded. Almost 7,000 victims, including 179 children. 967 people died, including 10 children
According to him, the aggressor country is particularly targeting medical workers, rescuers, police officers, journalists, utility workers, and representatives of humanitarian missions.
Also, 43 cases of Russian drone operators using the double-tap strike tactic have been recorded. After the first attack, they waited for other people to arrive to help the victims and then carried out a second strike.
These attacks will not be forgotten. We document every such strike. Our task is to identify the operator, the unit, and the entire chain of command. In a number of criminal proceedings, the names are already known. Responsibility for these crimes is not a matter of "if," but a matter of "when." It will be inevitable. Our international partners are already imposing personal sanctions against those involved in the torture and murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians, and are introducing entry bans for all who fought against Ukraine as part of the Russian armed forces. Everyone responsible will face trial and will feel the effect of international justice