Ukrainian police have released video footage showing a Russian drone chasing an unidentified vegetable seller around a van used as a street stand, before the drone explodes after the man dives behind the vehicle for cover.
The footage, made public by Ukrainian police, captures the drone's pursuit from a first-person view. The man is seen running around the van, which serves as his mobile vegetable stand, as the drone closes in. He throws himself to the ground behind the van, and moments later the drone detonates. The reports do not say whether the man was injured or killed in the blast.
The two newsrooms covering the attack describe it in markedly different terms. The Times of India refers to the incident as a "safari" attack, a phrase that implies the drone was hunting a human target. NDTV, in its headline, features the words "War Crime," echoing a common characterization of attacks on civilians in the conflict.
The attack highlights the peril faced by civilians in Ukraine as drones have become a ubiquitous weapon in the war. The release of such footage by police appears intended to document alleged atrocities. However, the reports offer no information about the location or timing of the incident, nor the identity of the victim.