Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drones have transformed the battlefield. But they have also brought the war to Ukrainians’ doorstep. Small drones known as FPVs and long-range Shahed drones are terrorising Ukrainian civilians. In a special report in collaboration with RFI Ukraine, our Observers recount their day-to-day reality.
Located in southern Ukraine on the banks of the Dniepr River across from the Russian army, Kherson has become a hunting ground for what locals call a “human safari”. The Russian forces are using drones to target civilians – whether they are on foot, driving, or even on bicycles. The drones they use are known as FPVs, for “first-person view”, meaning the operators see what the drone sees in real time.
‘Everyone has heard the sound of a drone’
For residents of Kherson, these drones have become a daily threat. Our Observer Alla, who lives in the city, told us:
“Everyone has heard the sound of a drone, seen it. Children of all ages, when they hear the sound of a drone, they point upwards, and they say ‘Drone! Drone!'
It is recommended to drive in dangerous zones with the windows open, because you won't hear a drone in a closed car. No one will warn you about a drone attack. Everyone relies on their own hearing, or hearing a whistle. This means we have three seconds to hide somewhere.”
The danger is not only in the city, however. We spoke to a farmer in the Kherson region:
“It's very difficult. Have I witnessed drone attacks? I see these attacks all the time. We felt it especially this year, because this year there were more of them than ever before. There have been many fires caused by drone attacks. A drone just flies in, falls into the field, and the wheat burns down.
It's very unpredictable. It's not a missile attack that we are warned about in advance, where we can go somewhere to take shelter."
War crimes and crimes against humanity
At least 577 civilians were killed by short-range drones in Ukraine in 2025, and more than 3,000 were injured, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). Nearly 95% of civilian casualties were recorded in territory held by the Ukrainian government.
In an October 2025 report focusing on the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, the UN Commission of Inquiry of Ukraine found that “Russian armed forces’ short-range drone attacks ... amount to a crime against humanity ... and war crimes."
‘Most strikes occur when people are peacefully sleeping’
But small drones are not the only drones in Russia's arsenal. To strike Ukraine’s rear cities, Russia also uses drones that are larger, faster and much more powerful – the Shaheds. The aim: to wear down the population.
Cheaper than missiles, Shahed drones are produced in massive numbers. They rain down on Ukrainian cities every night, dozens at a time.
Read moreHow Russia is building airports to launch Iranian drones at Ukraine
Maryna Averina, the spokesperson for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Odessa region, explains:
“It starts in the evening. Sometimes, from 8 or 9pm, they start terrorising us. Sirens go off, drones start hitting. But in our practice, based on statistics, the peak is around 2, 3 or 4 am. That is when most strikes occur, when people are peacefully sleeping."
‘The drone was following us’
With Ukrainian airspace closed to passenger flights since 2022, the country's rail network has become an essential service but also a major target for Russian drone attacks.
On January 27, 2026, three Shahed-type drones targeted a passenger train in the Kharkiv region. Anatoly Tymotsko was the train's conductor when it came under attack. He told our team:
“I remember everything. The drivers stopped the train using the emergency braking because a drone hit in front of the locomotive. That stopped it.
I went out to the vestibule door and heard a sound like a moped – that’s the sound of the Shahed drone. When I leaned out, I saw it coming from the tail of the train. It was coming at us like that. It was following us.
A passenger evacuation was declared. Unfortunately, it hit the 16th car. It wasn't a coincidence. They specifically directed the target there.”
According to the local prosecutor, six people were killed in the attack.
The HRMMU recorded 684 civilians killed in Ukrainian-controlled territory by long-range weapons (missiles and long-range drones) in 2025. More than 4,000 were injured. This accounts for 35 per cent of civilian casualties in Ukraine of that year.
The year 2025 was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022.
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