Human safari (terror campaign)

The human safari is a Russian campaign of deliberate terrorism against civilians in Kherson, Ukraine. Russian military units, since May 2024, utilize drones fitted with hand grenades and other explosives to purposefully target Ukrainian civilians during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to a UN human rights commission report from October 2025, at least 200 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 have been wounded by Russian-operated drones in Kherson.

Due to these actions, a UN report concluded there was a high probability that the Russian Armed Forces was guilty of murder, forced transfer, terror, attacks on civilians and outrages upon personal dignity which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report concurred and found Russian armed forces guilty of attacks on civilians, murder and terror as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The term "human safari" was first used in publication by journalist Zarina Zabrisky in a Kyiv Post article. The Russian practice of deliberately killing Ukrainian civilians using drones has since received broad coverage by media. Footage of the attacks are often shared and celebrated on Russian social media channels, with research published by Zabrisky finding that many drones used in the attacks had been obtained through fundraisers organized by Russian civilians.