Zelenskyy raises alarm over Russia’s escalating ‘human safari’ in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the alarm over Russia’s escalating “human safari” tactics targeting the civilian population in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region. “The situation is especially difficult in Kherson, where the Russians are conducting a safari against people,” the Ukrainian leader stated on May 12 in his daily video address. “Defenses must be significantly strengthened with more interceptors, more electronic jamming systems, and more gun crews operating in the city.”

Zelenskyy’s comments underline the nightmarish reality of daily life in the Kherson region, which staddles the Dnipro River on the front lines of the war in southern Ukraine. The right bank of the Kherson region was liberated from Russian occupation in November 2022, but remains under near constant attack from Russian forces located across the river.

In recent years, Russia has launched a campaign of targeted drone strikes against the civilian population with the apparent intention of depopulating the Kherson region. Terrified locals refer to these relentless drone attacks as a “human safari.”

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The Kherson region has become an important front in the drone war between Russia and Ukraine. It is often used by the Russians for training purposes and serves as a location to test new models and tactics.

Russian units operating from positions across the Dnipro River typically employ camera-guided FPV drones, bomber drones armed with munitions, and larger Shahed strike drones similar to those used in attacks on cities and infrastructure across Ukraine. Recently, the number of fiber-optic drones has also signifantly increased.

The overall intensity of Russian drone attacks in and around Kherson is currently growing at an alarming rate. One year ago, approximately 2,500 drones were deployed each week throughout the Kherson region. This figure has now more than doubled to around 5,500.

Meanwhile, the nature of the threat is evolving. While most casualties since 2022 have been the result of direct drone strikes or targeted munitions, Russia has begun scattering small explosive devices throughout civilian areas.

Russian drone units are currently attempting to paralyze transport and logistics networks throughout the Kherson region. Vehicles of all categories are routinely targeted. In April 2026, at least 230 vehicles were damaged or destroyed due to Russian drone attacks. This included numerous strikes on ambulances, private cars, and public transport.

The greatest threat facing the civilian population in the Kherson region remains targeted drone strikes. These attacks are typically carried out by Russian soldiers using camera-equipped drones and video monitors, underlining the deliberate and systematic nature of the campaign. During the first four months of 2026, Russian drones killed 35 people in the region and wounded a further 385.

Ukraine has responded to the escalating drone strike campaign in the Kherson region by ramping up defensive measures. Steps have included covering hundreds of kilometers of local roads and highways with anti-drone netting. This has proved to be a Herculean task, with each new batch of netting undergoing rigorous testing in real combat conditions prior to installation. In parallel, electronic warfare systems and mobile fire groups work to disable or destroy drones in the air.

Ukraine’s countermeasures are producing results. Ukrainian military officials report that between January and April 2026, they were able to intercept approximately 55,000 Russian drones from a total of 58,000 in the Kherson region, representing a 95 percent success rate. However, even this figure means that at least three thousand drones were able to penetrate Ukraine’s defenses during the four-month period.

With the quantity of Russian drones deployed in the Kherson region rising sharply, Zelenskyy clear feels that much more must be done to strengthen Ukraine’s anti-drone defenses. He is now hoping for a response from the country’s allies.

Kyiv’s partners would be well advised to take a close interest in the “human safari” unfolding across the Kherson region. Beyond the obvious humanitarian concerns raised by Russia’s criminal conduct, the security situation in the region offers important insights into the role drones can play when deployed against civilian populations.

There is growing recognition in Western capitals that the rapidly evolving use of drones by both Russia and Ukraine is transforming the modern battlefield. However, there appears to be significantly less awareness of the security threat that drones can pose to civilians located far behind the front lines.

The plight of local communities in today’s Kherson region offers a chilling glimpse of a future where drones are routinely deployed as terror weapons against enemy populations. This is a threat no military planner can afford to ignore. By helping to counter the Kremlin’s “human safari” in southern Ukraine, Kyiv’s partners can learn important lessons that will enhance their own national security.

Oleksandr Tolokonnikov is Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.

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The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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