"It's just vegetables!": In Kherson, a drone attacked a produce seller — Zelensky comments on the incident

In Kherson, a Russian FPV drone attacked 52-year-old vegetable seller Yuriy, who was selling his harvest by the roadside together with his wife. The incident was caught on video, with an interview with the injured man published by the Kherson Regional Military Administration; the footage was also distributed by Reuters.

According to Yuriy, when the drone approached his stall — a minivan — he tried to signal to the drone operator with gestures that there were no soldiers inside. "I tried to show him: look, there's nothing here but vegetables, nothing military," the man recounted. When he ducked behind the vehicle, the drone changed course and continued to pursue him.

At that moment, Yuriy's wife ran in the opposite direction. "She was shouting: where should I run? But where could we run to — it was open ground, there was nowhere to hide," the man recalls. He says he didn't even think of a bomb shelter at that moment — he was simply too frightened.

The explosion and its aftermath

The drone eventually detonated near the front left side of the minivan. "It was circling right above the vehicle and above me, almost at my height. Then it struck, and I fell to the ground," Yuriy described. About five minutes later, the vehicle caught fire, and local residents tried to put out the flames.

According to Ukrainian police, the man suffered shock and shrapnel wounds. Hospital footage shows injuries on his legs and back. Reuters could not independently verify the exact time and location of the interview, but the man's appearance matches that of the person seen in the attack footage.

Yuriy and his wife farmed a small plot of land and also bought vegetables from local residents, which they then transported to Kherson for sale. According to the man, this was not the first time a drone had targeted him specifically: previously, a drone struck the roof hatch of their car as he was driving to his mother-in-law's house, though the family managed to escape. Police recorded that earlier incident as well; the car was repaired since the family had no other vehicle to transport their goods.

Kyiv's reaction

The Kherson Regional Military Administration and Ukrainian police said the vegetable seller was attacked by a Russian FPV-type drone. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the incident part of a policy of terrorizing civilians and urged foreign partners to condemn the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also commented on the situation, calling it yet another example of a Russian "drone safari" against civilians in Kherson. "A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables, exploded next to him, and he was wounded," Zelensky said.

According to the president, such attacks occur regularly in the city. "The world needs to see this," he stressed, adding that international pressure on Russia must be intensified and that Ukraine needs real security guarantees. "This Russian 'safari' against people must end in Ukraine, and it certainly must not spread to other countries," Zelensky said. Russia's Ministry of Defense did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz