Kherson Becomes Russia’s Drone Warfare Training Ground Targeting Civilians, FT Reports

Russian forces have turned Kherson into a training ground for drone operators, targeting civilians living there.

This was reported by the Financial Times, citing Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.

Since mid-July, Kherson and its neighboring villages on the western bank of the Dnipro river have endured over 9,500 small drone attacks, killing at least 37 people and leaving hundreds injured, according to Prokudin, as well as regional prosecutors and police.

Prokudin told FT that Russia has stationed some of its "best drone units" along the Dnipro river, which cuts through Kherson and marks the front line. From positions on the opposite bank of the city center, Russian forces are deploying advanced drone models, honing combat strategies, and training new operators to bolster their escalating invasion efforts.

Numerous videos showing drone attacks on civilians have been shared on Russian military and pro-war Telegram channels. The "Eyes on Russia" project, led by the London-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a non-profit dedicated to uncovering human rights abuses and war crimes, analyzed and verified 90 such videos in a newly released report, creating a comprehensive video catalog of the drone strikes.

According to the publication, the drones employed—ranging from first-person view (FPV) drones and off-the-shelf Chinese Mavics to larger Russian military Lancets—target vulnerable civilian sites such as crowded markets, gas stations, cafés, post offices, and humanitarian aid centers.

In Kherson, killer drones have become so common that many residents now carry small detectors to alert them when a drone is nearby. Oleksii, a local artist and café owner, keeps one close at hand while brewing coffee for his customers. The device can even differentiate between various types of drones.

Russian forces continue their assaults in the Kherson direction, carrying out seven attacks in the past day in an effort to secure positions on the region’s islands. Reports indicate that Russia has prepared 300 boats to facilitate operations in the area.