Everyday life in the Ukrainian city of Kherson is a daily struggle to survive as Russian drones rain explosives down on civilian streets. At first, in the latter half of last year, it was hit-or-miss attacks from the other side of the Dnipro River but it is becoming a regular campaign by citizens, medics, and aid groups described as deliberate terror. Over 30,000 drones have been deployed to strike at the city in the past year, killing 90 civilians and injuring in excess of 1,300. No longer limited to frontline areas, the attacks have extended well into the city, striking markets, buses, and in some instances, emergency vehicles, said the Wall Street Journal.
Civilians in the midst of fire
For ordinary citizens such as 69-year-old pensioner Yaroslav Pavlivskiy, a regular visit to the market almost cost him his life. Russian drone operators recorded and published their attack on him, broadcasting his ordeal as propaganda. Tales of such kind have become the norm. Drones buzz low, releasing their grenades or mines, sometimes detonating on ground contact, mostly attacking cyclists or pedestrians. Even hospitals are full of patients who have withstood scores of operations after drone shrapnel ripped their bodies into pieces. To the remaining citizens of Kherson, at about 65,000, the persistent buzz overhead is a harbinger of death.
The "human safari"-footage clips
The Russian drone crews often upload segments of their strikes on the web, presenting them as threats that must be heeded by civilians who should run or risk being killed. The so-called "human safari" clips feature everyday Ukrainians being hit while strolling their canines, gardening, or commuting to their workplaces. In a few instances, drones come back to strike rescuers, medics, or firemen hurrying to assist victims. Humanitarian workers observe that such deliberate targeting obliterates the differentiation between fighters and civilians, not leaving anywhere in the city that is safe.
International indignation peaks
International observers, including a United Nations panel, concluded that the Russian airstrikes constitute crimes against humanity. By deliberately targeting and intimidating civilians, the drone war seems to seek to punish the citizens of Kherson for opposing occupation and embracing Ukrainian forces when they temporarily retook the city in 2022. Moscow has publicly ratified the notion that the civilians should evacuate, with Russian-appointed authorities referring to the streets of Kherson as a "red zone" where everyone is fair game.
Daily life with drones
Survival these days involves fine-tuning each aspect of daily existence. Civilians run in zigzags through open ground, hug walls, and look up for menacing shapes in the air. Paramedics take precautions, but even ambulance vehicles aren't secure anymore. Families moved indoors, but food supplies and medevac missions still put individuals in harm's way from drone fire. Winter seasons bring new terrors with their bare trees stripping away cover and long nights increasing operators' opportunities to attack.
Breaking the city’s spirit
The mental strain is nearly as intense as the physical damage. Residents talk about the relentless stress of not being able to guess where the next grenade would land. Neighbourhoods have been abandoned, with only the poorest or oldest being too weak to escape. Human rights organizations caution that Russia is not attempting to just defeat Ukraine militarily, but crush the moral fibre of its citizens. Still, block by block, Kherson's people persist, supporting each other through shellfire and declining to budge from their residences.
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