"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."

"For residents of Kherson, these drones have become a daily threat."

"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'."

France 24

 

"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." 

Maryna Averina, spokesperson, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Odessa region 

FPV drone with a spool of fibre-optic cable. Image credit: Armyinform.com.ua

 

The buzz of drones alert Ukrainians of incoming drones equipped with cameras, rigged out with explosives and steered by joysticks in the hands of a Russian military operative a mere dozen kilometres' distance. They know from experience that they will be tracked, chased and attacked by these drones. Familiarity with the phenomenon and the drones' random, unexpected presence, they are familiarly named as Russia's 'human safari' scheme of population demoralization. Translated; a terror campaign begun in Kherson which evolved with new technology, then spread to border areas within Ukraine. 

 

This hunting down of civilians for the quite obvious purpose of a reign of terror, part of the Kremlin's 

'special military operation', in Vladimir Putin's obsession with destroying Ukraine as a sovereign state, while annexing southern Ukraine bit by bit as it did in 2022 when it captured Crimea in 2014. The United Nations has recognized the deadly tactic as a war crime, one that has crossed the border from one army battling another, to an army deliberately targeting civilians, in opposition to international prohibitions on targeting civilian populations. 

 

"It's a really horrible problem the Russians are imposing on Ukrainian civilians in these towns where they're using the human safari tactic", observed Robert Tollast, military sciences researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, London. Russians just across the Dnieper River began two years ago deploying cheap commercial first-person view (FPV) quadcopters to stalk and strike civilians as they went about the course of their days; biking, standing at bus stops, walking their dogs.

 

The spool of fibre-optic cable is usually quite large. Image credit: Armyinform.com.ua

 

Begun in Kherson, by April of 2025 the attacks killed 42 civilians each month, injuring close to 300, according to an independent UN human rights commission report. The campaign, determined investigators, was ordered by Moscow for the purpose of systematically terrorizing the population, amounting to "murder as a crime against humanity". At  first Ukraine took to jamming -- flooding the drone frequencies with empty radio noise, which worked for a while.  Until Russia equipped the drones with fibre-optic filament.

 

These hair-thin tethers unspool in flight for 19 kilometres; with small payloads even further, as they carry video to the operator who commands the drone in return. Equipped with these filaments that bypass radio signals, the drones could no longer be jammed. It was  found that if someone knowledgeable, like a soldier, could grasp a filament it could be snapped through a combination of loops and pinches. Someone in the right place at the right time who could muster the speed required to pull off that simple solution could save another person's life, as the drone, the integrity of the fibre-optic threat broken, could no longer relay video and messages back to the operator. 

"The Russian drones are said to “zero in on vulnerable, everyday locations: crowded markets, petrol stations, cafes, post offices, and humanitarian aid centers.” Some days, the drones target ambulances, police officers, nurses, doctors, and garbage collectors. "

"However, most days, the drones “hunt and wound or kill commuters on their way to work, or target pensioners eking out survival in the winter cold.” The drones also scatter butterfly anti-personnel mines “along streets, courtyards, playgrounds and public squares.” These small, camouflaged mines are hard to see, easily blending in with leaves and brush, and have led to a rise in foot amputations."

"The attacks have become so prevalent that civilians are unable to leave their houses during the day unless there is heavy rain or overcast conditions that prevent the drones from flying or decrease their accuracy. When they do venture out, many residents carry radio frequency drone detectors [devices designed to detect the radio frequencies used to control drones] and only travel after dark. "

Articles of War  

Articles of War

 

"Russia saw [Russian opposition leader Alexei] Navalny as a threat."

"By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition."

"[The attack] must have been authorized at the highest level, by President Putin."

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper

 

[I was] certain from the first day [that Alexei was poisoned], but now there is proof."

"Putin killed Alexei with chemical weapons."

"[Putin is] a murderer [who must be held accountable]."

Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny's wife 

 

"No one but Putin's henchmen will be able to say in detail what happened on February 16, 2024, in the Russian penal colony."

"But it is clear that Russian authorities had the possibility, the motive and the means to administer the poison to Navalny."

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul

The longtime Kremlin critic died in prison following charges he decried as politically motivated  Image: GINTS IVUSKANS/AFP/Getty Images

 

Alexander Litvinenko in ICU, Getty Images

In 2006, former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko died an excruciating death in a London hospital. He had become a stern critic of the Kremlin. The radioactive isotope polonium-210 had been slipped into tea he was served, and it went right to work painfully degrading his bodily functions. It took an agonizing 21 days of unremitting pain for the man to die, while doctors working to help save his life tried to diagnose what was killing him; radioactive poisoning.

 

In Salisbury England in 2018 the Kremlin launched an attack targeting former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, with the nerve agent Novichok that made Skripal and his daughter seriously ill, but they survived. When a British woman came across a discarded bottle holding traces of the nerve agent, she died of its effects. Subsequently British intelligence found traces of the biological weapon in various places, posing a deadly threat to the public. 

 

In 2020, Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent that he identified as an attack by the Kremlin. This was not the first time attempts to poison him and cause his death occurred and he recognized the method and the medium as he became deathly ill. He was flown to Germany for medical attention, where he was treated and recovered from the attack. Rather than remain in safety out of the reach of the Kremlin he decided to return to Russia, where he was immediately imprisoned, with trumped-up charges.

 

Given one sentence after another on the basis of charges that could never stand up to scrutiny, he was imprisoned for years, and finally sent to the 'Polar Wolf' penal colony for an additional 19-year sentence. He was weak and ill and to no one's surprise several years later, he  died in that prison in the Russian Arctic. Cause of death, according to Russian authorities; high blood pressure caused by cardiac arrythmia. 

 

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2015 Photograph: Sefa Karacan/Andalou/Getty Images

 

Now, the foreign ministries of the U.K. France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands have announced findings from analyses in European laboratories of Navalny body samples that "conclusively confirmed the presence of epiatidine", a neurotoxin secreted by South American dart frogs. A toxin not found anywhere in Russia; but one that could be imported or chemically produced in a lab. "Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison", a joint statement read.

 

Leading to the five countries reporting Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Crusading against official corruption, Navalny staged massive anti-Kremlin protests. Navalny's poisoning demonstrates "that Vladimir Putin is prepared to use biological weapons against his own people in order to remain in power", stated French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

 

Last year, said Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya, two independent labs found her husband was poisoned shortly before his death. While according to Russian authorities, the imprisoned politician fell ill following a walk, dying from natural causes. Epibatidine acts on the body similarly to nerve agents, causing shortness of breath, convulsions, seizures, slowed heart rate, and ultimately death.

 

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny appears on a screen via video link from the IK-6 penal colony in the Vladimir region, during a court hearing to consider an appeal against his sentence in the criminal case on numerous charges, including the creation of an extremist organization, in Moscow, Russia September 26, 2023   Reuters

 

"The United States is the creator of NATO, its main sponsor. All the main resources come from the U.S. -- money, military technology weapons, ammunition, everything."

"And in the new U.S. National Security Strategy, Russia is not named as an enemy or a target. Yet the NATO secretary general is preparing for war with us."

"What is that? Can't you read?" 

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin during his annual Direct Line call-in show at Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor, 19 December 2025. Photo: EPA / SERGEI ILNITSKY

 

"The financial package for Ukraine has been finalized. Ukraine is granted a zero-interest loan."

"These funds are sufficient to cover the military and budgetary needs of Ukraine for the two years to come."

"If Russia does not pay reparations we will -- in full accordance with international law -- make use of Russian immobilized assets for paying back the loan." 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz 

 

"[The U.S. is trying to] figure out if we can nudge both sides to a common place."

"We understand that you're not going to have a deal unless both sides have to get."

"Both sides will have to make concessions if  you're going to have a deal. You may not have a deal. We may not have a deal. It's unfortunate."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio 

 

"The key question [relating to the U.S.-proposed plan to end the 4-year war] remains how the United States responds after consultation with the Russians. At this point, I honestly don't know, but I will know later today."

"This [agreement between Ukraine and Portugal for joint production of maritime drones] is one of the most promising areas of defence co-operation. What matters now is delivering results, and all parts of Europe must have sufficient capabilities to counter any threats."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 

Moscow Times

 

According to the Russian Defence Ministry it struck unspecified "transport and storage infrastructure used by the Ukrainian armed forces" as well as energy facilities supporting Kyiv's war effort. But then, Ukrainian drones have hit a Russian oil rig, the military patrol ship Okhotnik and other facilities as the ship patrolled the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field, also hit, as well as a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea. 

 

Nothing, however, stops Mr. Putin from sneering at Ukraine's presumably feeble efforts at defence and offence, as, he claims, Russian forces are clearly winning the war that Ukraine is responsible for starting and he, Vladimir Putin, is anxious to put an end to. During the annual question-and-answer availability session staged by the Kremlin, Mr. Putin responded to many questions put to him. And in the process beamed over the fact that U.S. President Trump had shunted aside America's European allies in favour of Russia.

 

In responding to journalists and the general public in Russia the Russian president expressed his confidence on the trajectory of the Ukraine war while denying any responsibility for the war's consequences in massive human casualties, since it wasn't his fault at all, but rather that of the West. Sneering at NATO secretary-general's assertion that Russia might attack a NATO country within five years, pointing to the U.S. National Security Strategy linking Russia to "strategic stability". As for the security document; it is "largely consistent with Russia's intentions".  

 

"He can come back when he is ready for peace" 

Vladimir Zelensky and US President Donald Trump   REUTERS/ Brian Snyder

 

"When I arrived in Anchorage, I said these would not be easy decisions for us. But we agree to the compromises being 'proposed'. To say that we reject anything is absolutely incorrect and has no basis."

"The ball is entirely in the court of our opponents, so to speak, and, first and foremost, the leaders of the Kyiv regime and their, in this case, and above all, European sponsors." 

President Vladimir Putin  

It is, he reiterated, Kyiv that is refusing to end the war, while Moscow was prepared for peace with Ukraine and is willing to compromise to end the conflict, while Ukrainian forces were retreating "in all directions".  Terms suitable to Moscow are all that Russia is asking for to achieve peace. Terms eliminating "the root causes" of the conflict. Russia bears no responsibility for human war casualties "as we did not start that war".

 

While having assured President Trump that Russia stood willing to compromise in peace talks, Russia is also prepared to absorb more of Russia's "historical lands" from Ukraine through military force if negotiations to end the war on  Russian terms failed. Those Russian terms are, he contends, completely reasonable; the surrender of both Ukrainian territory in Russian hands, and portions still held by Ukraine. Oh and by the way, Ukraine taking steps to downsize its military and forego the weapons it holds to a limited number.

 

Right: no NATO presence in Ukraine as a guarantor of peace conditions upheld, nor any future attempt by Ukraine to join NATO. As for reconstruction costs associated with rehabilitating and rebuilding Ukraine, reparations are of no concern to Russia; Europe can foot the bill. Europe's decision to help fund Ukraine's continuation of its offensive saw EU Council President Antonio Costa declaring: "We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered."

 

Belgium continues to hold out on the EU's plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction. The International Monetary Fund estimated 137 billion euros would be needed by Ukraine in 2026 and 2027. The 210 billion euros of Russian assets frozen mostly in Belgium would fit the bill nicely. While Putin's ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who sees himself as a peacemaker declared: "I would not like a European Union in War. To give money means war".  

"Western leaders created this situation themselves and continue fanning the flames by saying they are preparing for war with Russia. [It is] nonsense [that Russia wants a war with Europe]."

"I have no doubt that you and I will witness new successes of our armed forces, our troops on the contact line before the end of this year. That's the plan." 

President Vladimir Putin 

Putin answers questions as presenters Pavel Zarubin and Yekaterina Berezovskaya look on. Photo: EPA / SERGEI ILNITSKY

Ending the Russia-Ukraine Conflict Trump's Way

"There is not any leader in the world who can really make a deal with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin without us, about us."

"He's a liar. He doesn't want any peace."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

 

"We'll be having meetings at the direction of the president [Donald Trump], and hopefully we'll make some really good progress with regard to Russia-Ukraine."

"I think Ukraine is part of the talks. I don't think this is about excluding anybody."

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff 

"[Putin] wants to stop fighting. We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together."

"I'd love to have them back [in the G8]. I think it was a mistake to throw them out. They should be sitting at the table. I think Putin would love to be back."

"I think he wants to end it and they want to end it fast."

"Zelenskyy wants to end it, too."

U.S. President Donald J. Trump 

President Donald Trump leaves after speaking during the signing of executive orders at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.  Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

 

American officials and their Russian counterparts arranged to meet in Saudi Arabia for direct negotiations to begin, over ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Kyiv and its allies throughout Europe were left to swiftly arrive at a strategy for their own security. Which led France to call an emergency meeting of European leaders in Paris. Their first encounter with the Trump team at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend left them reeling in disbelief and confusion when senior U.S. officials including Vice-President J.D. Vance gave up mixed signals on support for Kyiv and relieved them of the expectation that Kyiv and Europe would be present for negotiations on Ukraine's future.

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was somewhat less than pleased, responding that Kyiv would never view a deal arrived at without his presence as acceptable, and rejected an American proposal to access Ukraine's rare earth minerals which offered in return no security guarantees. In Abu Dhabi on the weekend, President Zelenskyy signed a trade deal with the UAE, meeting Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to "maximally liberalize access to the UAE market for almost all Ukrainian goods".

 

Sheikh Mohammed spoke of "the UAE's keenness to support everything that would lead to a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and continue working to mitigate its humanitarian repercussions." Contrast that with the White House expressing its interest in backing President Zelenskyy's bid to take possession of the US$300 billion in frozen Russian assets held in European banks, as long as Ukraine spends the money on U.S. military hardware.

 

To place matters in further perspective, contrary to Mr. Trump's claims, the U.S. has not been the primary financial contributor to Ukraine's pushback against Moscow. Over the past three years, Europe has contributed 132.3 billion euros ($197 billion,) pledging an open-ended commitment to continue for as long as it may take. As for the U.S. contribution, it totalled $114.2 euros with most of that funding remaining in the United States, representing purchases from U.S. arms manufacturers. 

 

US, Russia agree to try to end war without Ukraine at the table High-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday over the fate of Ukraine, the negotiations taking place without Kyiv's participation.    Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP

 

President Trump concurred with the Kremlin that Ukrainians should not have been encouraged to approach NATO for membership, that the resulting conflict was entirely Ukraine's fault, along with that of Joe Biden's offence to Russia's anti-NATO 'red line' sensitivities regarding Ukraine, which has never been a proper country with a history and culture of its very own, claimed by Vladimir Putin. And of course, the one-sixth of Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia will remain with Russia...

 

Leaving Ukrainians in an agony of anxiety over what else Trump might conceivably defer to Putin on, to Ukraine's detriment, in his quest to win accolades for ending the war, as he proposed during his presidential election campaign. And nor does he apparently feel that Russia should be responsible for war reparations after levelling Ukrainian cities, causing the death of up to 57,000 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, with over 250,000 having been injured. 

According to President Trump, European troops should be prepared to police U.S. "security guarantees" in Ukraine, at Ukraine's expense. He proposed making it simpler for Ukraine to earn the required funding for that initiative with "the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earths". Vice-President Vance did his part in destabilizing/astonishing European leaders over their harbouring of misguided fears relating to Russia and China. "What I worry about is the threat from within -- the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America."

 

Beyond astonishing... 

Trump falsely claims Ukraine started war with Russia CNN still from video