UN Says Russian Drone Attacks on Civilians Are Crimes Against Humanity

Drone Strikes Have Created Fear and Displacement
The Investigative Report released by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was stated to be 17 pages long and included confirmed incidents of civilians targeted by drones equipped with a camera, which chased them before physically dropping bombs or explosives on them, as they were running to take shelter. The Report noted that these actions were purportedly part of a campaign coordinated in an effort to extract civilians from a location.

The findings are based on 226 interview with victims, witnesses, humanitarian workers, and local officials, on top of hundreds of online videos authenticated by verification. The findings indicate that, indeed, a campaign occurred systematically against civilians across three territories in southern Ukraine, along the front. These territories consist of an area along the Dnipro River that has faced bombings for more than one year.
Both Ukraine and Russia have claimed that each has attacked civilians throughout the resolved conflict, now in its fourth year. At the same time, both continue to deny their accusations.

Accounts of Survivors and Impediment of Communities
One of the accounts reported is a woman from Kherson who stated she was chased by a drone in August 2024, when she pulled her vehicle over to the side of a road. The Report details that the drone targeted the woman and that she was injured attempting to avoid the drone and seeking shelter in her garage. The Report goes on to say that later that same day, two more drones targeted her location, forcing her to evacuate.

As the Report explains, these acts caused a great depletion of the population in many areas, which, in most cases, left elderly persons and persons with disabilities remaining. Erik Mose, Chair of Commission, stated unequivocally, “The drone operators operated intentionally." He further added, “They pursued civilian populations in their homes, or in their gardens, or if they were in the streets, wherever the civilians were found, they hunted and pursued."

Survivors spoke of how they felt "hunted," also the term that the course of perpetrators of drone footage also utilized. Medical first responders and volunteer firefighters have also been targeted, depriving local communities of the ability to deliver essential rescue services.

War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry, previously (May timeframe) established that actions were indeed resulting in the crime against humanity of murder. The Report now extends that finding by specifically stating the actions were also forcible transfers. Attacks have been reported and confirmed in an area greater than 300 kilometers.

The Report also documented evidence that Russian interests coordinated the deportation or transfer of civilians from occupied territory in the Zaporizhzhia region, while the existing rule of international humanitarian law defines this as a war crime against and toward civilians.