Ukraine Says Drone Attack On Market Vendor In Kherson Constitutes War Crime

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister has accused Russia of committing a war crime after footage emerged showing a drone pursuing and wounding a street vendor in the southern city of Kherson. The video, released by Ukrainian police, shows the drone chasing an unidentified man around a van he used as a market stand before detonating as he took cover. The vendor, a man in his 50s, survived but suffered shock and shrapnel wounds.

Officials Call For International Response

The foreign minister said the incident was part of a broader pattern meant to instill fear in civilians, describing it as one of many similar attacks that rarely draw public attention. He said the drone operator would have known the target was a civilian and called for stronger defense support and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Separately, an overnight strike on the northern city of Sumy killed two children and an elderly woman, according to the regional governor.

Rising Civilian Toll

A UN human rights monitoring mission reported nearly 1,400 civilian deaths and close to 8,000 injuries across Ukraine in the first half of 2026, a sharp increase from the previous year, with the rise attributed largely to intensified long-range missile and drone strikes on populated areas.

Accusations Go Both Ways

Russia has made similar accusations against Ukraine, saying a recent drone strike on a Black Sea resort killed several people, including children. Both countries have denied deliberately targeting civilians throughout the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.