Key facts
- A Russian FPV drone taunted and struck a 52-year-old vegetable seller in Kherson on Aug. 4.
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister accused Russia of a war crime following the drone attack.
- President Zelensky condemned the attack as a 'human safari' and war crime.
- Ukraine reportedly launched drone attacks on Russian logistics and oil infrastructure overnight on Aug. 4.
- Drone strikes in Moscow Oblast killed five people and injured six.
- A drone crash near Arkhipo-Osipovka killed seven people, including three children.
- Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. stated Ukraine will never join NATO.
- President Zelensky signed a law granting full rights to former convict soldiers.
A Ukrainian vegetable seller survived a Russian drone attack on August 4 in Kherson, an incident Ukraine's Foreign Minister labeled a war crime. Video footage showed a Russian FPV drone taunting and then striking the 52-year-old vendor, Yurii, as he set up his market stall. Kherson Oblast Police stated such attacks are a daily occurrence, though rarely captured in such detail.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the drone attack as a "human safari" and a war crime. The incident occurred as Ukraine reportedly launched a wide-ranging drone attack on Russia overnight, targeting logistics and oil infrastructure. Social media showed thick smoke rising from a Wildberries logistics hub in Chekhov, Moscow Oblast, where five people were reportedly killed and six injured. Another Wildberries warehouse in Krasny Bor, Leningrad Oblast, also saw smoke. Separately, a drone crashed on a beach near Arkhipo-Osipovka in Krasnodar Krai, killing seven people, including three children.
In other developments, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker indicated that a joint production deal for Patriot interceptor missiles with Ukraine is unlikely before winter, citing U.S. export controls. Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that Ukraine will "never" join NATO, suggesting the alliance's standards are outdated and Ukraine should pursue other European security alliances. President Zelensky also signed a new law granting full rights to former convict soldiers who volunteered to fight, including 15 days of annual leave and access to medical care. Meanwhile, Russian forces dropped over 8,300 air-dropped glide bombs on Ukraine in July, marking a record monthly figure.