The prosecutor's office has documented more than 11,000 attacks with short-range drones, which Russia uses as an instrument of terror against civilians, medics, rescuers and police. These actions are classified as war crimes and indicate a systematic practice of using drones against civilians.
Basic context
Prosecutor's Office and investigators recorded more than 11,000 attacks FPV drones, Russia has been targeting civilian objects, residential areas, hospitals, vehicles and emergency services. In 2024, 2427 such attacks were recorded, in 2025 - 6771, and in the first four months of 2026 alone - 2010 criminal proceedings.
Law enforcement officials note that the attacks have signs of war crimes and are systemic, not isolated episodes. Targeted application of FPV drones is carried out against people at bus stops, near residential buildings and infrastructure, as well as civilian transport that does not have military significance.
Increasing intensity and specifics of attacks
An analysis of criminal proceedings shows the massive use of drones in 2024-2026, with up to 45-50 such cases registered per day. Russia is using FPV drones equipped with remote munitions drop systems and fibre-optic FPV drones, which makes them difficult to detect and neutralise.
Particularly dangerous are repeated, or «double» attacks that were carried out after the arrival of medics, rescuers and police at the scenes of previous attacks. Thirty-four criminal proceedings were registered for such attacks on emergency workers - nine against the SES and 25 against medics.
Casualties among emergency workers and civilians
The attacks injured 52 medical workers, three of whom were killed, and 20 employees SES. The police suffered 95 attacks, which resulted in 167 police officers being injured, four of whom were killed. Fifty-two specialised vehicles were damaged, including 44 ambulances and eight fire and rescue vehicles.
The situation in Kherson region
In the de-occupied territories of the Kherson region, 5303 criminal proceedings were registered over drone attacks. As a result, 287 civilians were killed, including children, and 2,549 people were injured, including 41 children.
The city of Kherson suffered the highest losses, with 127 killed and 1,754 wounded, accounting for 44% of the total number of killed and almost 69% of the wounded in the region. This data demonstrates the large-scale threat to civilians and infrastructure from drone attacks.
