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The NGO urges Russian responsibility for war crimes in targeting Ukrainians with drones.
Russian forces use drones to hunt and attack civilians in Ukraine and continue to do so, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a report published on Tuesday, HRW said that the Russian army had repeatedly Unmanned drones deployed to attack civilian targets In his war more than three years with Ukraine. The NGO said dozens of civilians had been killed and hundreds injured in violation of war laws.
By referring to videos of Russian drones and witnesses and survivors, the rights dog alleys that Russia has “deliberately or recklessly” civilians and civilian objects, especially in the southern city of Kherson, using “quadcopter drones available in the commercial” made at national level and in China.
“Russian drone operators are able to follow their targets, with high resolution video flows, leaving little doubt that the intention is to kill, mutilate and terrify civilians,” said Belkis Wille, director of weapons and conflicts at HRW, in a press release.
“They illustrate why the international community must support all the ways of responsibility for the victims of Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.”
The results support the reports of residents and Kherson officials earlier this year that Russian drone operators were training by targeting civilians “Human Safaris”.
HRW interviewed 36 survivors and attacks of attacks and combed through 83 videos downloaded from the telegrams affiliated to Russian soldiers, as well as visual materials provided by witnesses and researchers.
Overall, at least 45 “deliberate drone attacks” by Russian forces from June to December 2024 on civilians and civil objects, including health establishments, have been recorded.
Kherson authorities have reported at least 30 deaths and 500 civil injuries to drone attacks towards the same period.
A January 2025 report on the United Nations Human Rights Surveillance Mission said that drone attacks represented 70% of Kherson’s civilian victims.
“The attacks have the apparent aim of instilling terror in the civilian population of Kherson, which is part of a widespread attack on this population,” said the report.
HRW said Russia has deployed commercial drones manufactured by Chinese companies, Dji And altar, and by a Russian entity, Sudoplatov, which has allegedly described as a “volunteer organization”.
