MFA responded to the UN report on Russian drone attacks on civilians in the Kherson region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the publication of the report of the Independent International Commission of the United Nations, which documented systematic attacks by Russian drones on civilians on the right bank of the Kherson region. The corresponding comment was published by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The department noted that this is the first international report that draws attention specifically to the systematic shelling of civilians by Russian UAVs in the Kherson region.

"Russian terror against the people of Kherson, which has been ongoing since the de-occupation of the city and the right-bank region, is a shameful tactic of terror against civilians that must be ended," the statement said.

The UN report indicates gross violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law by the Russian Federation, which continues to commit war crimes and terrorize Ukrainian civilians.

Documented facts indicate deliberate Russian strikes on civilian targets, which is a direct violation of the principles of distinction and proportionality stipulated in the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the collected testimonies of victims and witnesses, as well as a detailed analysis of video evidence and documents, provide a clear understanding of the scale of these crimes and the direct responsibility of the Russian military and political leadership.

The results of the commission's work are important for bringing to justice all those responsible for Russian aggression and subsequent atrocities, and for paying compensation to the victims.

The department called on the international community to increase pressure on the Russian Federation to force it to stop crimes against civilians, and also emphasized the need to continue documenting all cases of violations and holding those responsible accountable.

The report , released on May 28, states that the attacks by Russian armed forces drones on civilians in the Kherson region constitute crimes against humanity. This is the conclusion of the commission.

Since July 2024, Russians have killed and injured civilians in an area stretching over 100 kilometers along the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. The drone attacks were widespread, systematic, and carried out as part of a coordinated state policy, the report states.

Drone attacks in Kherson and 16 other settlements in Ukrainian-controlled territories have killed nearly 150 civilians and injured hundreds. The victims included men, women, and children. Civilians were targeted in a variety of circumstances, including when they went out to do their daily chores, walked, or were in transport.

Regular drone attacks, the dissemination of videos of these strikes, and numerous publications directly calling on the population to leave the territory indicate a coordinated state policy by the Russian authorities aimed at forcing the population of the Kherson region to leave. The Commission concluded that the Russian Armed Forces may have committed a crime against humanity – the forcible transfer of the population.

• In January 2025, Prokudin reported that about 145,000 people live in the right-bank part of the Kherson region , which is three times less than before the full-scale Russian invasion.
• The Russians are launching daily strikes on Kherson and settlements on the right bank of the region. In particular, on May 16, the occupiers struck the railway station.