LONDON — In the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the threat from Russian drones is constant. For Natalia Sergienko, a humanitarian worker and director of the Kherson Power of the South public organization, the past month included two terrifying near-misses. While driving through the so-called “red zone,” an area declared an open-fire zone by Russian military-linked Telegram channels but still heavily populated, she watched a drone fly past her car before being shot down. Days later, while standing near her organization’s headquarters, she heard the sound of a drone approaching from behind and scrambled into a basement for safety. “The basement saved me,” she told ABC News.
Such incidents are routine in Kherson, which sits along the Dnipro River and has formed the frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the south since Ukraine liberated the city in late 2022. Local officials report that Russian artillery, missiles, drones, and air-dropped bombs kill or injure approximately 20 people daily in the city.
The term “human safari” has emerged to describe Russian operators using first-person view (FPV) drones to hunt civilians. Videos of these attacks are frequently shared on pro-Russian channels, and the United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has stated that such actions constitute crimes against humanity.
As the White House generates cautious optimism regarding a potential peace deal to end Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year, cities like Kherson, Kharkiv, and Kramatorsk face the prospect of prolonged conflict regardless of diplomatic outcomes in Moscow or Kyiv. The Kherson region is one of four territories, along with Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk, that the Kremlin非法ly annexed in 2022.
Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, reported that nearly 80% of the city’s pre-war population of 283,000 has fled. Since the invasion began in February 2022, official data indicates at least 1,502 people, including 40 children, have been killed and 9,625 injured. More than 46,900 civilian infrastructure facilities, including over 44,500 homes, have been damaged or destroyed.
Tolokonnikov highlighted the ubiquity of FPV drone threats, noting that fiber-optic-guided drones are increasingly difficult to jam and are used as tools of “deliberate terror.” In August alone, 27,210 Russian drones were launched across the river, with FPV drones accounting for 80% of civilian casualties, killing 30 and wounding 393. Current rates average around 6,500 drones per week against Kherson.
The scale of attacks is intensifying. Russian jets dropped 117 aerial bombs in the first half of 2026 and another 100 in August. Compounding the danger is a severe energy crisis after Russian guided bombs destroyed Kherson’s remaining heat and power plant in August. Regional administrator Oleksandr Prokudin has warned that electricity supply is now equivalent to that of a single Kyiv supermarket, prompting suggestions that 10% to 15% of residents may leave for the winter.
Diplomatic efforts recently included visits by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner between Moscow and Kyiv. While both sides described the talks as productive, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed that Russian control over the annexed regions is “non-negotiable.” Ukraine fears a recurrence of the Minsk agreements era, which failed to prevent the 2022 invasion.
Sergienko expressed skepticism about a temporary ceasefire. “A ceasefire is not peace,” she said, warning that accepting a pause without security guarantees would be risky given Russia’s history of broken agreements. She emphasized that Kherson serves as the “shield of southern Ukraine,” protecting routes to Mykolaiv and Odesa.
On the Russian-held west bank, which comprises about 75% of the region, Tolokonnikov reported severe shortages of food, medicine, and utilities, alongside allegations of human rights abuses and forced mobilization. He stated that any ceasefire dividing the city would not resolve the issue, affirming that the liberation of all territories remains a long-term goal. “The Soviet Union was even more powerful than Russia is today. Eventually, countries still broke free from its control,” he said.
Twenty people killed daily seems unimaginable. Sending love to everyone hiding in those basements.
The energy crisis sounds dire. What happens in winter with only supermarket-level electricity? Very worried.
80% of the population fled? That is catastrophic. How do they even maintain basic life now?
Terrifying to read about the ‘human safari’ drone tactics. Hope diplomacy actually brings safety soon.