Archived version

Russian forces have repeatedly used drones to attack civilians and civilian objects in Kherson city in southern Ukraine, serious violations of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said in a report.

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The 93-page report, “Hunted From Above: Russia’s Use of Drones to Attack Civilians in Kherson, Ukraine” - here is an archived version - and an accompanying web feature, document how Russian forces appear to be deliberately or recklessly carrying out drone strikes against civilians and civilian objects with these mostly inexpensive commercially available drones. The attacks spread terror among the civilian population and cause them to fear leaving their homes, and have caused the depopulation of the two areas being targeted in Kherson.

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Human Rights Watch interviewed 36 survivors of and witnesses to Russian drone attacks in Kherson and analyzed 83 videos of drone attacks uploaded, often with captions, to Russian military-affiliated Telegram channels as well as videos and photographs taken by witnesses and shared with researchers. Through these videos, Human Rights Watch confirmed that Russian forces used commercially available quadcopter drones manufactured by two China-based commercial drone companies, DJI and Autel, and one model made by a Russian entity, Sudoplatov, which describes itself as a volunteer organization.