You don’t have to analyse Telegram or X for long to reveal disturbing footage of War Crimes.
This article contains still captures from video footage of extreme imagery. All care has been taken while compiling this article but understand that clicking through to the reference link will expose you to sensitive content.
The ongoing reality of the war in Ukraine has shown a stark toll on the civilian population throughout the conflict. As Russian forces have moved through parts of Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of war crimes inflicted on the civilian population.
With the war going into its third year, though, much of the population has tried to maintain normality where possible. This show of strength and defiance has shown the resistance of Ukraine and her people and inspired parts of the international community to continue lobbying for ongoing support and aid.
One of the most unique aspects of this modern conflict, though, has been the impact that social media has had on the overall dynamic. Plenty of footage has been posted online by both sides, and analysts of all skill levels spend time analysing this footage to establish loss, legitimacy and other important factors that help monitor the status of the conflict.
So, as an open-source analyst, you’ll often see plenty of footage, and unfortunately, as a result of this, you’ll also often see some pretty nasty things. While you never get used to this, you do adapt.
Sometimes, though, you still see things that shock you outright.

The Clip

Our clip was found on Ukrainian-speaking Twitter, where it was posted with the caption “Just Another Day in Kherson”. It’s a drone footage clip from what looks to be various types of DJI drones that are armed and flying around the suburbs of Kherson.

The original post. Caution is advised should you wish to view it. Source: x.com
While drones of all types have played a huge part in the conflict along the front lines, this footage is unique for one very distinct reason. And it isn’t a good one.

The Problem

For most people, the idea of being at war typically involves soldiers as well as large numbers of military assets and equipment. This could be everything from tanks to anti-aircraft weapons, right through to ballistic missiles or tactical nuclear weapons. It’s fair to say that for most people, though, the impact of wartime on civilians isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering this type of thing.
And this, in fact, is the actual problem. Wartime has a disproportionate effect on civilians as well. From a lack of power in the cold of winter, right through to civilian casualties incurred due to missile strikes, it’s the community that bears the bulk of the impact that this has on society.
Far from being secondary casualties, though, in this instance, this disturbing clip clearly reveals one thing. The Russian military is now openly hitting Ukrainian civilians with drone strikes and grenade attacks in the skies over Kherson.
No military assets anywhere in sight. Source: x.com
There are no tanks struck in this footage. No artillery pieces, and no air defence systems. No military bases or runways. Just cars, civilians and village housing.

The Proof

Incidents like this are so prevalent that the Kyiv Independent has also written it up, while plenty of footage is available on social media to provide further material. Like this clip, typically it’s civilian assets and resources that are suffering under these attacks while military equipment is nowhere to be seen.
This vehicle was travelling a major road at speed when it was struck by a drone dropped grenade. Source: x.com
One thing that has been observed repeatedly while viewing the clips is that there seems to be a preference for mobile and moving targets. The vision of cars being struck while travelling at speed appeared on several occasions, and while they weren’t the only strikes observed, they were a large majority.


In most clips, we’ll see brief visuals of the weapons they are carrying. Source: x.com
The main platform used for these activities appears to be a DJI drone system that’s been weaponised with the ability to carry a functional payload. This means that the system can be reloaded and reused, carrying out multiple sorties with little more than battery power and ordnance requirements restricting its availability.
These off-the-shelf systems are designed to carry at least two small grenades that are able to be dropped individually before exhaustion. One section of the clip shows that at least one weapon is still being carried after one was recently dropped. While these are small weapons, they’re more than enough to cause damage on the ground, cheaply and easily.
The targeting of civillian vehicles was not discreet in the least. Source: x.com
If you take a look at the attached article, you’ve probably realised by the date that this isn’t the first time that this has occurred. At this point, it’s been going on for months, right under the nose of the world.

Into The Future

While the evolution of drones has made for new hobbies and ways to spend leisure time, the reality is that these platforms have significantly shaped the future of the world's militaries. In earlier years, projecting force from the air required an air force, along with expensive fighter platforms and well-trained pilots to get the most from their equipment.
Today, you don’t even need much in the way of technical know-how as you can buy off-the-shelf systems with superb optics that can even include thermal camera systems. So, the technical barrier to entry is far lower than what we’ve seen in the past. This, paired with the efficiency and customisable configuration of the modern drone, means that rather than simply going away, this problem will become much more prevalent in the future.
For some time into the future, the frontlines of Ukraine will continue to be the primary location where this new technology continues to be refined and improved, giving Ukrainian forces an extremely functional and versatile weapon system to strike back with.

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