Eyes on Russia

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) has identified a significant escalation in the use of drone-dropped ordnance by Russian forces to target possible civilians, possible civilian vehicles, and civilian infrastructure in Kherson City and its neighbouring suburb, Antonivka. Between July and 21 October 2024, CIR verified
88 such incidents and has established the locations of anti-personnel mines likely dropped by Russian drone operators.

Avdiivka, a small city 13 kilometres to the north of Donetsk city, has been at the forefront of Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2014. Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fighting for the city was emblematic of the broader war in the Donbas and centred on the city’s industrial zone to the south-east. Occasional flare-ups between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces (such as in January-February 2017) would result in the shelling of the residential areas of Avdiivka, however this was irregular.

Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city to be seized by Russian occupying forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion with President Putin declaring the city part of the Russian Federation on 30 September 2022 after a sham referendum.

Multiple videos show the men’s last moments, as they kneel or lie on the ground with their hands on their heads or behind their backs.  

Russian forces have dramatically escalated their use of drone-dropped munitions in Kherson, described by locals as a “human safari”.

Open source investigators verify over 2,600 attacks on Ukraine’s hospitals, schools, churches and energy supply since Russian invasion