Russian forces launch deadly 'human safari' using FPV drones to hunt civilians — ISW

Analysts voiced this conclusion amid a series of new strikes on Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where Russian FPV drones hit city buses twice on April 7. Four civilians were killed and 24 others were injured in the first of these strikes. Another similar incident in the Chervonohryhorivka municipality (east of Nikopol) led to the injury of at least five civilians. In addition, Russians struck a market in Nikopol with a drone on April 4, killing five civilians and injuring 28.

Russian forces are widely using the "human safari" tactic — the deliberate use of FPV drones to hunt down and strike civilian targets — the ISW emphasized amid latest events. The invaders are massively using tactical drones, particularly FPVs, to strike civilians and civilian infrastructure in southern Ukraine specifically.

Furthermore, Russian forces have integrated these deliberate strikes on the civilian population into their broader tactic of battlefield air interdiction (BAI). This tactic traditionally focuses strikes on military targets and dual-use infrastructure in military affairs, but does not specifically target civilian objects, the ISW reminded.

However, Russians are using drones to attack Ukraine's near rear, striking primarily civilian targets in an attempt to stop all movement on specific roads. This deliberate harm to the civilian population, which is being used as an instrument of war, constitutes a war crime, the ISW concluded.