tech
Putin’s Human Safari Is the Dystopian Future of War
Yuri is a 52-year-old Ukrainian who runs a market stall in Kherson, not far from the front line. Yesterday, he was sorting through vegetables when he heard the loud, distinctive buzz of a Russian drone. As he later told the journalist Zarina Zabrisky, he had nothing more than a couple of garlic bulbs in his hands, and no weapons. “Not even a phone.” He gestured at his tomatoes and peppers, so that the drone operator, whoever and wherever he might be, could see that he wasn’t a soldier.
TL;DR
- A 52-year-old Ukrainian man, Yuri, survived a drone attack in Kherson while unarmed and gesturing to show he was a civilian.
- Russian drones have been used for 'human safaris' in Ukraine since 2024, targeting individuals with the intent to kill.
- A UN inquiry documented numerous drone attacks on civilians across eastern Ukraine.
- The use of advanced drone technology, initially intended for humanitarian advantages, has been repurposed by Russian operators to target civilians.
- The article predicts that intelligent, deadly machines will fundamentally transform warfare and eventually impact crime, terrorism, law, and policing globally.
- Ukraine has a significant drone industry developing specialized robots for defense, surveillance, attack, and rescue operations.