Witold Stupnicki on increased Russian “human safaris” in Ukraine

New ACLED analysis documents an escalation in Russian drone strikes on civilians in eastern Ukraine, identifying a systematic pattern of so-called "human safari" attacks that the United Nations has confirmed constitute crimes against humanity.

ACLED's Europe and Central Asia analyst Witold Stupnicki said:

"What we are seeing in the Nikopol district is the “human safari” tactic reaching a new level of lethality. Three strikes on public spaces killed 10 and injured over 50 civilians within three days. On 7 April, Russian First Person View (FPV)¹ drones hit two passenger buses — the first strike killed four civilians and injured at least 24, while a second in the nearby Chervonohryhorivka municipality wounded five more. In the days prior, an FPV drone struck a civilian car on 5 April, killing one and injuring another, and on 4 April, a drone struck a civilian market in Nikopol, killing five people and injuring 28.

"These strikes are part of systematic Russian tactics of deliberately using FPV drones to locate and strike civilians. This terror campaign was first documented in Kherson in 2024, where Russian drone operators were reportedly trained on live civilian targets from positions near the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, and has since expanded into Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv.

"It marks the deliberate repurposing of military drone operations. Drone units trained to hit military supply routes behind enemy lines are instead being used against buses, markets, and ambulances. The pattern is aimed at restricting civilian movement and instilling psychological terror, rather than achieving any military objective. As a result, civilians in affected areas have adapted by installing anti-drone netting over roads, driving without headlights at night, and keeping children indoors."