Russian drone kills at least 5 in 'vicious' attack on Ukraine's Kherson
A damaged civilian bus hit by a Russian drone, as said by a Ukrainian official, at a location given as Kherson, Kherson Region, Ukraine, Aug. 19, 2026. (Reuters Photo)


At least four people were killed Wednesday when a Russian drone strike targeted a minibus in southern Ukraine’s Kherson, Ukrainian authorities said, in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called a "vicious" attack.

Another woman was killed and a man wounded in a separate drone attack ​on a car in the ​central part ⁠of the city, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The four passengers – a man and three women – were killed in a morning attack on the minibus, Prokudin said on Telegram.

There was no immediate comment from Russia on the incidents. Russia denies targeting civilians in the war triggered by its invasion of its smaller neighbor in ⁠February ⁠2022.

"The vicious Russian 'safari' against our people in Kherson has long gone beyond anything a normal person could imagine," Zelenskyy said on X.

"These are the realities of everyday life in Ukraine's frontline regions. While partners hesitate over additional supplies of defence equipment, the Russians have long run wild."

Ukrainians have coined the term "safari" to describe ⁠drones "hunting down" civilians or vehicles in the street. Earlier this month, Ukraine released a video showing a drone chasing down and wounding ​a vegetable seller in Kherson.

Prokudin said that a further ​four passengers and the minibus driver were wounded in the attack. He posted blurred photos of ⁠a yellow ‌bus ‌with bloodied steps, shattered windows and ⁠footage from inside the vehicle with ‌its floor covered in blood and a hole in its roof.

Prokudin ​said the Russian operator ⁠of the drone must have seen he ⁠was targeting a civilian vehicle.

"Despite this, the operator ⁠dropped the explosive ​directly on to the roof of the bus," he said.