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Russian Drone Strike Kills Four Civilians in Sumy Oblast
Confirmed
In Short: A Russian FPV drone struck a civilian car in Sumy Oblast, killing four people, including two young children.
Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones struck a civilian car in Sumy Oblast on Sept. 19, killing four people, including a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported.
The incident highlights the increasing threat of FPV drones to civilians in Ukraine, particularly in regions close to the front lines.
According to Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, Raybird systems have logged more than 350,000 combat hours since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The attacks have been labeled the 'human safari,' a longstanding Russian practice of training drone operators on civilians before deploying them to the battlefield.
Ukrainian regions near Russia are facing heavy barrages of FPV drones, posing a significant threat to civilians during daylight hours.
Kyiv Independent reporters Nick Allard and Asami Terajima traveled to Kharkiv Oblast to meet reconnaissance soldiers from Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, witnessing the rigorous training required for their dangerous role.
FPV drones entered the battlefield at scale in 2023, transforming the landscape of the war.
In a separate incident, Russian forces attacked a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Sept. 9, killing two Azerbaijani citizens and injuring two others.
Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi reported that Russian strikes temporarily halted vessels from entering Ukrainian seaports starting July 22.
Reuters reported that Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt on attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea through a third party, but Russia declined the offer.
Ukraine recorded 35 Russian attacks on vessels in ports, 22 attacks on ships at sea, and 67 strikes on port infrastructure in July.
What this adds
The attack in Sumy Oblast is part of a pattern of increasing drone strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine.
The incident adds to the growing body of evidence of the threat FPV drones pose to civilians in Ukraine.
Background
A Russian drone hit a passenger bus near a public transport stop in Zaporizhzhia, injuring five people.
A Russian FPV drone hit a bus near a public transport stop in Zaporizhzhia, injuring five passengers.
What's confirmed
- Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones struck a civilian car in Sumy Oblast on Sept. 19, killing four people, including a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported.
- The incident highlights the increasing threat of FPV drones to civilians in Ukraine, particularly in regions close to the front lines.
- According to Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, Raybird systems have logged more than 350,000 combat hours since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
- The attacks have been labeled the 'human safari,' a longstanding Russian practice of training drone operators on civilians before deploying them to the battlefield.
- Ukrainian regions near Russia are facing heavy barrages of FPV drones, posing a significant threat to civilians during daylight hours.
- Kyiv Independent reporters Nick Allard and Asami Terajima traveled to Kharkiv Oblast to meet reconnaissance soldiers from Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, witnessing the rigorous training required for their dangerous role.
- FPV drones entered the battlefield at scale in 2023, transforming the landscape of the war.
- In a separate incident, Russian forces attacked a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Sept. 9, killing two Azerbaijani citizens and injuring two others.
- Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi reported that Russian strikes temporarily halted vessels from entering Ukrainian seaports starting July 22.
- Reuters reported that Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt on attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea through a third party, but Russia declined the offer.
- Ukraine recorded 35 Russian attacks on vessels in ports, 22 attacks on ships at sea, and 67 strikes on port infrastructure in July.
What's still developing
- Moscow Oblast came under a large-scale drone attack, with Russian air defenses downing 249 drones, according to local authorities.
- "Our shared European home is not the place for 'Russian houses' promoting war propaganda," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
- The Foreign Ministry said the two injured citizens were taken to a hospital in Chornomorsk, Odesa Oblast.
- However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Aug. 14 that Moscow did not consider it appropriate to return to the 2022-2023 Black Sea initiative or suspend hostilities in the Black Sea.
- For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy.