On 11 November 2025, Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Kherson's liberation. Three years since residents celebrated freedom in the streets. Three years since Russian troops withdrew across the Dnipro River.

But for Khersonians, liberation brought a new nightmare. This week, Angelina Jolie visited Kherson and described what she found: "The threat of drones was a constant, heavy presence. You hear a low hum in the sky. It's become known locally as a 'human safari,' with drones used to track, hunt, and terrorize people, constantly."

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine this week released its latest findings, documenting Russia's deliberate drone attacks on civilians in Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv oblasts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced a new anti-drone program designed to protect Kherson and prevent further attacks.

Euromaidan Press interviews Erik Møse, Chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.

The UN mission and what investigators found

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine visited Kyiv from 2 to 6 November 2025.

Established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Russia's war against Ukraine, the Commission used this mission to deepen its investigations, gather further information, and exchange views with officials.

The Commissioners Erik Møse (Chair), Pablo de Greiff, and Vrinda Grover met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ombudsperson, NGOs, and victims of the Russian war of aggression.

Since 2022, the Commission has carried out 26 visits to Ukraine and neighboring countries, publishing nine reports documenting Russian war crimes and violations. It has also recorded limited violations by Ukrainian forces, such as indiscriminate attacks and mistreatment of alleged collaborators, though some allegations remain unverified due to access restrictions.

Due to resource constraints, the Commission did not visit Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv or Zaporizhzhia oblasts during this mission.

In an interview with Euromaidan Press, Commissioner Erik Møse noted that the team's investigations did not depend on physical access. The Commission relied on other methods of verification, including remote evidence collection and collaboration with local sources.

Its two latest reports, released in May and October 2025, contain extensive documentation, including the identification of perpetrators, both individuals and entities.

What the report documents: crimes against humanity of murder and forcible transfer

In its report to the UN General Assembly submitted on 27 October 2025, based on the "reasonable grounds to believe" standard, the Commission found that Russian forces carried out short-range drone attacks on the Ukrainian-controlled west bank of the Dnipro River and Russian authorities systematically coordinated the deportations and transfers of Ukrainian civilians from the occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The Commission has concluded that the Russian armed forces committed crimes against humanity of murder and forcible transfer of population.

The Commission has documented and found crimes against humanity in the cases of short-range drone attacks, as opposed to other types of drone attacks, such as long-range ones. It is important to distinguish between the long-range and short-range drones, as it is the short-range that Russian forces use to target and hunt civilians.

The report is based on findings drawn from a public library of evidence, including 247 geolocated incidents. The Commission interviewed 117 women and 109 men, both in person and remotely, to substantiate the findings.

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How Russian forces conduct systematic drone attacks across 300 kilometers

The findings concern short-range drone attacks spreading terror and resulting in killings, injuries, and large-scale destruction. Russian forces carried out recurrent attacks against multiple civilian targets across more than 300 kilometers on the west bank of the Dnipro River in Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts. These attacks forced thousands of civilians to flee, constituting the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population.

Investigators identified Russian drone units and corresponding military formations deployed on the left bank of the Dnipro River, all belonging to the Dnepr Group of Forces. Various Russian authorities and services coordinated actions in carrying out deportations and transfers.

The Commission's previous report, published in May 2025, reached the same conclusion regarding Kherson. The latest findings expand this conclusion to include three provinces.

It's important to explain not only the extent, but also the gravity of the attacks, Møse said in an interview. The report exposes an extensive array of targets hit, including civilian persons, objects, and transport, as well as residences and buildings, critical infrastructure servicing the civilians, and first responders.

The Commission determined that these drone attacks were directed by Russian authorities to inflict maximum harm. Operated under a unified command, Russian forces used drones capable of real-time observation and target tracking, leaving no doubt that operators could identify civilians.

One method of attacks, for instance, included using several drones: the first drone would strike a house, piercing the roof, while the second dropped explosives or incendiary materials to ignite fires.

When rescue workers arrived, they too were targeted.

Such methods, Møse stated, demonstrate intent and a clear violation of international law.

Perpetrators identified: from drone operators to Putin

The report found that the attacks were carried out by drone units of the Russian armed forces based on the left bank of the Dnipro River, under Russian control, in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Witnesses said Russian soldiers occupied vacant houses, positioned military equipment between civilian buildings, and operated drones from within residential, administrative, medical, and educational facilities.

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The Commission identified individual drone operators and units stationed on the left bank. Some operators regularly shared footage of drone attacks on civilians via Telegram channels.

These units are part of the "Dnepr" Group of Forces, commanded by Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, who reports directly to Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov, the commander of all Russian troops in Ukraine.

In July 2025, Russia's Defence Minister visited the Group's headquarters, where Teplinsky briefed him on a new drone control system designed to coordinate operations, reduce losses, and track drone deployment.

Among Russian-installed officials, Volodymyr Saldo, the self-proclaimed "Governor" of occupied Kherson Oblast, has actively supported drone operations. In September 2024, he posted on his Telegram channel that he had delivered drones to military personnel on the left bank.

View on Threads

In 2025, he shared updates and recruitment appeals for a drone unit in northern Kherson under the slogan "Make Kherson's history already today!" He also reported visiting drone factories in 2023 and 2025, stating that drones from the factories were "working en masse on the front lines—in the area of responsibility of the 'Dnepr' troop grouping."

Both Valery Gerasimov and Volodymyr Saldo ultimately report to Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces. Gerasimov, as Chief of the General Staff, reports to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and, through him, to Putin.

Saldo reports to the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, which oversees the occupied territories.

Witnesses and local officials in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast reported that some drones were launched from or near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, seized by Russian forces in 2022. The use of the plant's vicinity for military purposes violates international humanitarian law, which prohibits locating military objectives near nuclear installations.

Deportations from Zaporizhzhia Oblast follow consistent pattern

In addition, the Commission also found that deportations and transfers of civilians by Russian authorities constitute war crimes and follow a consistent pattern.

Russian authorities coordinated the removal of civilians from occupied areas in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, actions that amount to the war crimes of deportation and unlawful transfer. Some victims were deported from Zaporizhzhia to Georgia, while others were transferred to territories under Ukrainian government control. Victims of deportation and transfer were detained, tortured, and had their documents and belongings confiscated before being compelled to leave.

The Commission found that these acts were systematic and sustained over a prolonged period, reflecting an organized effort by various Russian entities, including senior officials. Transfers and deportations were carried out pursuant to state policy, with the Russian-appointed "Governor" of occupied Zaporizhzhia issuing a decree mandating expulsions and publicly confirming the actions.

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Response and the path to accountability

The Commission's most recent report delivered to the United Nations was well received by member states in the General Assembly and Ukrainian authorities, and drew broad media coverage across international, regional, and national outlets.

"Documenting and covering the situation is essential to spread knowledge about these crimes," said Møse. He noted that while early reporting on drone attacks was limited, awareness has grown as evidence accumulated, particularly regarding their extent and impact. The press coverage and amplification of the findings remain of utter importance.

I can't. The monsters killed her.

I spoke to her a few weeks ago. For f^^* sake. God damn, god damn them, god damn Russians.

Burn in hell https://t.co/yfChLvcGPb

— Zarina Zabrisky (@ZarinaZabrisky) October 20, 2025

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Although media and researchers have reported on the drone attacks in Kherson Oblast, understanding of their scale and severity remains limited.

Based on documented evidence, the Commission determined that Russian authorities committed the crimes against humanity of murder and of forcible transfer of population, as well as the war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, and inflicting inhuman treatment. These actions are part of a state policy of aggression.

Military units of the Russian armed forces, operating under centralized command across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts, targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure with drones for over a year. In occupied Zaporizhzhia, civil authorities, including the appointed "Governor," coordinated with the Federal Security Service (FSB) to deport and transfer Ukrainian civilians.

The Commission emphasized that judicial accountability is essential. It called for investigations and prosecutions of all individuals responsible for these crimes, including those who ordered, directed, or facilitated drone attacks on civilians and civilian objects, in accordance with international legal standards.

The reports are intended to support ongoing and future accountability efforts, including national prosecutions, universal jurisdiction cases, and proceedings before the International Criminal Court. The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas.

"Our perspective is that these reports will and should contribute to accountability for these egregious crimes," said Møse. "It's important that this information is widely shared."

The Commission called for accountability and reparations, urging that the aggressor state bear financial responsibility for rebuilding lives and communities destroyed by the war.

Møse reiterated the recommendation that Russia immediately end drone attacks on civilians and stop spreading terror among the population.

Each report provides verified factual findings and legal analysis under human rights, humanitarian, and international criminal law, forming a foundation for further action by international and national bodies.

"The law is clear," said Møse. "This has to stop. That is our mandate."

To coincide with the anniversary of Kherson's liberation, the documentary Kherson: Human Safari will be broadcast on major Ukrainian channels. National TV channels Dim (20:00 Kyiv time) and Freedom (16:45) on 11 November 2025. The film will also be available for free viewing on MEGOGO, the largest entertainment platform in Eastern Europe. The film will also be available for free viewing on YouTube, Kyivstar TV, Sweet TV, YouTV, OTT Club, Ukrainske TV, and Current Time, a joint network of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America.

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View on Threads

I can't. The monsters killed her.

I spoke to her a few weeks ago. For f^^* sake. God damn, god damn them, god damn Russians.

Burn in hell https://t.co/yfChLvcGPb

— Zarina Zabrisky (@ZarinaZabrisky) October 20, 2025

Russian forces attacked a humanitarian mission vehicle with a drone in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of 8 November, according to Yevhen Tkachov, head of the Proliska humanitarian mission in the region.

The incident occurred at the entrance to Kostyantynivka. The vehicle, marked with humanitarian mission insignia, was carrying volunteers Yevhen Tkachov and Oleh Tkachenko, along with journalists from Austria (Christian Verschütz) and Spain. The group was planning to film a report about evacuations.

"We were going as volunteers to evacuate people: we had four or five addresses with chaplain Oleh Tkachenko in his armored vehicle. At the entrance to Kostyantynivka, in the Novosilivka area, we had just turned, drove around the corner and saw a drone on fiber optics hovering 10 or 15 meters away. When we saw it, we stopped the car, and it started moving. We jumped out of the car and at that moment it attacked the emblem," Tkachov said, Suspilne reported.

According to Tkachov, the Russians deliberately targeted the vehicle with a drone—hitting directly on the humanitarian mission emblem and damaging the engine. He believes the Russians used an FPV drone on fiber optics with a cumulative RPG warhead: the vehicle was burned through completely, but no one was injured.

The damaged vehicle has been removed from Kostyantynivka, and officials are now determining whether it can be repaired. Tkachov said that last week, Russians twice attempted to attack Proliska's vehicle, but were unsuccessful.

The Austrian journalist worked for ORF, which published video footage of the damaged vehicle.

On 18 July, Russian forces dropped an aerial bomb on Kostyantynivka and attacked a volunteer vehicle with a drone. One woman died. On 23 October in Kramatorsk, a journalist and cameraman from the Freedom channel were killed when Russia struck their vehicle with a drone.

Ukraine has registered over 190,000 war crimes since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and prosecutors believe the scale and pattern of these crimes show a state-directed campaign to wipe out the Ukrainian nation, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.

Ukraine presents staggering war crimes evidence to UN investigators

On 4 November 2025, Deputy Prosecutor General Andrii Leshchenko met with representatives of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, led by Erik Møse. During the meeting, Ukrainian officials shared data, investigative results, and assessments pointing to what they described as Russia’s orchestrated campaign of violence against Ukraine’s civilian population.

The Prosecutor General’s Office told the UN commission that over 190,000 war crimes had been recorded since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Leshchenko said that 1,029 Russian military personnel had been formally charged, with 747 indictments sent to court and 206 individuals already convicted. 

He emphasized that the scale and systematic nature of the Russian Federation’s crimes allow them to be classified as part of a deliberate genocidal policy against the Ukrainian people.

“What we are seeing is a planned state policy aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation,” Leshchenko said, adding that investigators are not focusing solely on the direct perpetrators but also on the political and military leadership of Russia, the aggressor state.

Spike in drone attacks highlights deliberate targeting of civilians

Yurii Rud, head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed During Armed Conflict, highlighted the sharp increase in Russian drone attacks on civilians. He said more than 5,100 such assaults were documented in just the first nine months of 2025 — twice the total recorded in all of 2024. Rud noted these attacks showed clear signs of crimes against humanity.

UN report confirms civilian targeting and forced deportations

The Ukrainian delegation and UN representatives also discussed a recent report from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. The report cited numerous cases of force used against civilians in both Russian-occupied and frontline territories. It detailed systematic drone strikes on civilian infrastructure and the deportation of residents from Russian-occupied areas.

Since the Ukraine-Russia gas transit agreement expired in early 2025, Russian strikes have intensified against Ukrainian gas production and infrastructure. The strategy is deliberate: disrupt Ukraine’s heating season and freeze millions of Ukrainians out of their homes—a tactic that constitutes genocide under international law.

The numbers tell the story. According to Naftogaz of Ukraine, Ukrgasvydobuvannya, and the Razumkov Centre, Russia’s targeted attacks in late 2024 and early 2025 cut Ukraine’s gas production by 40%—approximately 8 billion cubic meters annually. Direct damages: €2-4 billion. In autumn 2025, Russian strikes on gas production facilities in the Kharkiv, Poltava, and Sumy regions caused devastating damage to production capacities in these critically important areas.

Russia has attacked Ukraine’s civilian gas infrastructure seven times in October. “I am addressing everyone with a request to use gas as sparingly as possible. Today, every cubic metre saved counts,” CEO of Naftogaz Sergii Koretskyi noted.

From self-sufficiency to dependency

Ukraine’s normal production of 20 billion cubic meters annually covers domestic demand. Russia’s systematic attacks have shattered this self-sufficiency.

Russia’s targeting of gas fields, storage facilities, pipelines, compressor stations, and distribution centers has forced Ukraine into critical dependence on EU imports. Worse, Ukraine must now make emergency purchases during winter—when European gas prices peak.

Russia’s attacks extend beyond production to import routes. In August 2025, Russia damaged the Orlivka gas compressor station near Romania twice. The station is critical for alternative gas supplies from Azerbaijan and energy security across the Ukraine-Moldova-Romania triangle.

Despite the attacks, Ukraine’s gas transmission system continues operating normally. September production reached 45 million cubic meters daily, supplemented by imports from Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia—including a third through Naftogaz’s partnership with Polish energy company ORLEN. For the 2025-2026 winter, Ukraine has contracted 450 million cubic meters of American LNG for delivery through terminals in Poland and Lithuania.

A race against time

Russia’s attacks on production, combined with low reserves and cold weather, forced Ukraine into emergency gas imports in February to cover the deficit at the end of the 2024-2025 heating season. According to ExPro data, Ukraine imported nearly 2.1 billion cubic meters in the first half of 2025—more than twelve times the volume from the same period in 2024, and the largest first-half import since 2020.

In September, Ukraine injected 45-50 million cubic meters of gas daily into underground storage, increasing reserves by 26% from the previous month. Since the injection season began, nearly 6.7 billion cubic meters have been stored—1.7 times more than in 2024.

To reach the target of 13.2 billion cubic meters by 1 November, Naftogaz must import an additional 500 million to 1.5 billion cubic meters to compensate for damaged production. By September 2025, Ukraine had imported 3.3 billion cubic meters—compared to just 275 million in the first nine months of 2024.

Naftogaz secured over €1 billion in international support from the European Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Norwegian grants, supplemented by Ukrainian state bank credits to finance these emergency imports.

On 23 October, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers allocated €174 million to Naftogaz for gas imports to purchase 430 million cubic meters of natural gas. Norway will provide an additional $150 million for gas purchases in early 2026.

The EBRD is preparing an additional €500 million loan to cover gas imports made necessary by Russia’s infrastructure strikes.

The infrastructure protection crisis

While securing sufficient gas volumes is crucial, a critical vulnerability remains: Ukraine lacks adequate protection for gas compressors and distribution stations. Having gas in storage means nothing if transmission infrastructure is destroyed.

Further Russian strikes could fragment Ukraine’s gas system into isolated islands—production remnants in the northeast, storage facilities in the west, and import pipelines along the western border, unable to connect.

Ukraine needs effective anti-drone and anti-missile protection for gas extraction, transportation, and distribution infrastructure, air defense for cities, and physical protection of critical facilities.

Government response and price controls

The Ukrainian government is attempting to balance market stability with consumer protection. In October, authorities raised fixed gas prices for gas-fired producers while freezing residential rates to protect 12.4 million consumers.

The government extended obligations requiring state producers to sell gas at fixed, below-market prices through March 2026 to keep Naftogaz functioning. The Gas Transmission System Operator must purchase a minimum of 340 million cubic meters of imported gas to ensure supply security and diversification.

The international imperative

Russia is deploying full-scale energy terror against Ukraine, weaponizing winter to create a humanitarian crisis. The international community must recognize this strategy for what it is: systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure designed to make Ukrainian territory uninhabitable.

The cost of prevention is measured in millions. The cost of failure will be measured in Ukrainian lives and a humanitarian catastrophe that reverberates across Europe.

As temperatures drop, the question is not whether Russia will continue these attacks, but whether the international community will provide the tools Ukraine needs to defend its people.

Kateryna Kontsur

Kateryna Kontsur is an energy policy expert at Razom We Stand with over 20 years of experience in regulatory policy, EU energy law, and renewable energy systems. She advocates for Ukraine’s energy independence and supply diversification and holds advanced project management and financial analysis degrees.

Editor's note. The opinions expressed in our Opinion section belong to their authors. Euromaidan Press' editorial team may or may not share them.

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Russia is committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine, according to independent UN human rights investigators. Moscow is carrying out systematic, coordinated actions aimed at driving Ukrainians from their homes.

Russia expels residents from at least three Ukrainian regions

In its report on the situation in Ukraine, the UN Commission of Inquiry states that Russian forces have committed two crimes against humanity: "firstly, of 'murder and of forcible transfer of population' and secondly, 'deportations and transfers of civilians' from areas occupied by Russian forces, some of whom were tortured." 

The report highlights that attacks stretching over 300 kilometers along the right bank of the Dnipro River — across the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts — represent a coordinated campaign to force Ukrainians from their homes.

Russian forces have deliberately targeted:

• Individuals
• Homes, buildings, and humanitarian aid distribution points
• Critical energy infrastructure
• Ambulances and fire brigades, which are granted special protection under international humanitarian law

“We are hit every day, drones fly at any time - morning, evening, day or night, constantly,” said a man interviewed for the report.

Russia’s deliberate terror against civilians

The UN-appointed investigative commission, established in March 2022 by the Human Rights Council, gathered testimonies from residents living under bombardment who described their conditions as “unbearable.”

The findings are based on approximately 500 verified videos of crimes, with 247 geolocated incidents, and 226 interviews with Ukrainian citizens.

The report also documents detentions, torture, and the confiscation of documents and property — actions that "inflicted severe mental pain and suffering and amount to inhuman treatment as a war crime and a violation of human rights."

Many attacks repeatedly struck the same vehicles and infrastructure, intentionally setting them ablaze and spreading terror among civilians, violating their fundamental rights.

The commission also reviewed Russia’s claims about Ukrainian drone strikes on civilian targets in occupied territories but said it could not draw conclusions due to a lack of access, security concerns for witnesses, and non-cooperation from Russian authorities.

Russia forms female assault units. Pro-Ukrainian partisans of the Atesh movement have reported the formation of assault companies composed of women on the Pokrovsk axis in Ukraine, calling it proof of "cynicism." 

Russia needs Pokrovsk to push further into Donetsk Oblast.

Command is throwing anyone to the slaughter

This summer, Russia concentrated some 100,000 soldiers here. The occupiers are prepared to throw anyone to their deaths, turning women into cannon fodder, to fulfill losses. 

“The regimental command, attempting to make up for personnel shortages, began forming assault companies from women,” partisans report.

Women used under cover of civilians for reconnaissance

Women are also being used for infiltration. If an assault fails, they are ordered to change into civilian clothes to pass as civilians while conducting reconnaissance and reporting the movements of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

“Our sources confirm: for these women there is no way back. Their lives depend solely on the ‘mercy’ of commanders, which can be earned only one way,” Atesh said.

The movement appeals directly to the regiment’s servicemen and to the women being sent to certain death: “Your life is more important than criminal orders. Do not become part of this cynical plan.”

Just two days ago, Russian soldiers committed a severe war crime, killing three civilians near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Now the Russian command is attempting to extend this practice to foreign nationals fighting for Moscow, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence reveals. 

Ukraine has recorded a war crime committed by Colombian mercenaries fighting against Ukraine as part of the 30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, which belongs to the 2nd Combined Arms Army of Russia’s Central Military District.

In an intercepted conversation, one of the field commanders issues an order in Spanish to execute Ukrainian civilians, including women and children. 

A silent order for blood on foreign soil

The same recording contains a shocking demand from an accomplice of the Russian occupiers: “When there is fog, mist, so they are not identified, let them eliminate all people on the enemy side. On motorcycles, on bicycles, women and children, women and children.”

People bury their neighbours in yards, as evacuation is not possible 

Since April 2025, civilians in Pokrovsk have been burying the dead directly in the courtyards of residential buildings, as it is impossible to transport bodies to the cemetery. Russian forces are advancing on the city from multiple directions and shell it daily. Despite this, more than a thousand residents remain in Pokrovsk, Bakhmut reports. 

According to regional authorities, evacuation from the city is nearly impossible. Those who stay in the city face extreme danger moving through the streets, as Russian troops may be present.

The exact number of casualties is unknown. Russian commanders continue to issue orders to kill civilians attempting to flee the combat zone.