Lone pedestrians are seen through a shattered storefront window in Kherson, Ukraine.
Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The shaky video that has horrified viewers around the world lasts just over 30 seconds.It shows an exploding drone — small enough to fit in the palm of the hand and loaded with explosives — circling just meters above a vegetable seller's market stall in an area near the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.The distinctive buzzing of the aircraft is audible throughout the short video. Costing maybe only a few hundred euros, one-way attack drones like this are controlled by pilots using onboard cameras that provide a first-person view.The Ukrainian vendor immediately recognizes the danger. He takes cover behind a white van parked beside his stall, constantly looking up at the threat above.Like a predator stalking its prey, the drone circles, chasing him around the vehicle before suddenly diving toward him. It explodes as it hits the ground beside the van.Today, many were shocked by yet another video of the drone “safari” Russians are carrying out against civilians in Kherson. A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables and detonated right next to him. The Russians even admitted to the crime, showing zero… pic.twitter.com/uGjC7esFwR— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 4, 2026 The vendor miraculously survived the August 4 attack, though he suffered multiple shrapnel wounds to his arms, legs, and back, as well as a concussion.The name of the man in the video is Yuriy. He is 52 years old and lives in neighboring Mykolaiv. He regularly travels to Kherson with his wife to sell vegetables.
