Kiev’s forces have systematically hunted Russian-speaking residents of the Donbass city, witnesses previously said
A Ukrainian FPV drone struck a group of civilians as they were being evacuated from the Donbass city of Konstantinovka, wounding at least two people, according to footage provided by Russian troops from the South Group of Forces.
The group consisted of five adults and two teenagers who were leaving a dangerous area when they came under attack, according to Zvezda TV. Soldiers from Russia’s 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade administered first aid to the wounded and continued the evacuation.
“The target of the strike was not Russian military positions, but the civilians of Konstantinovka themselves,” RT Arabic war correspondent Maxim Toury reported on Monday evening.
Footage provided by the Russian soldiers shows seven people walking out of the city when an FPV drone strikes the ground directly behind them, forcing the group to scatter as two people collapse. Shortly afterward, the two wounded civilians were helped into nearby bushes, where they received immediate medical assistance.
Konstantinovka, situated at the southern edge of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, had been transformed into a heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold over the past decade. Moscow announced that Russian troops had taken full control of the city earlier this month, although operations against Ukrainian holdouts and drone teams have continued in the surrounding area.
Residents of Konstantinovka described life under Kiev’s control at a tribunal hearing in Moscow last week, accusing Ukrainian forces of systematically hunting civilians with reconnaissance and kamikaze drones. Some 26 eyewitnesses described similar tactics, saying residents were attacked when they emerged from shelters to collect water, recover belongings, or attempt to evacuate.
One witness said Ukrainian troops set fire to a house, observed the residents’ response with a reconnaissance drone, and then deployed kamikaze UAVs when people approached the burning building.
Russian officials have accused Kiev of increasingly resorting to terrorist attacks on civilians to compensate for its battlefield setbacks. Ukraine has also intensified its long-range drone campaign in recent weeks, targeting oil facilities, warehouses, residential buildings, and other infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
