Aerial Terror in Kherson - A City Under Drone Siege
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A charred car, struck by a Russian FPV drone, caught Ukrainian photojournalist Ivan Antypenko's eye as he drove along the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway.
"Bad news," he wrote on social media.
Reporting from the south of Ukraine since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022, Antypenko has documented dozens of drone-struck vehicles. This one was different: he knew it was a harbinger of a drone siege.
For Kherson, a city of 60,000, separated from the Russian military by less than a mile of the Dnipro River and under non-stop attacks, the highway to Mykolaiv, a major seaport, is a lifeline to Ukrainian-controlled territory. The highway is Kherson's main artery for evacuation, aid and supply. In July 2025, that lifeline is being severed - from the sky. If this strategy succeeds, Kherson risks becoming the first city besieged by drones.
The city and its main highway are already a "kill zone" - a stretch near the frontline dominated by first-person-view (FPV) drones, remotely operated aircraft used by both sides to strike military and civilian targets with speed and precision. Shutting down Kherson's main road with FPV drones would allow Russian forces to encircle the city for the second time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 - this time, without setting foot on the ground.
Russian drone attacks along the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway increased to one to two cars per week during July 2025, according to Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
"There have been at least three recent attacks in Klapaya and near the Chornobaivka checkpoint," said Tolokonnikov in an interview with Byline Times. "One of the targeted vehicles belonged to the Chief Rabbi of Kherson - he and his family were unharmed."
Antypenko and other local journalists reported that farmers in the Kherson region could not harvest crops sown last autumn or spring due to attacks by large FPV drones and artillery setting fire to fields and agricultural equipment.
It is possible that the Russian military is shifting tactics because drone defence inside Kherson has improved, according to Tolokonnikov. Parts of the city are now shielded with anti-drone nets. Ukrainian forces use electronic warfare, small arms and target Russian drone crews across the river. As Kherson becomes harder to hit directly, Russian drone pilots are targeting its outskirts and the road to Mykolaiv.
"The Russians know it's a key route, and that is precisely why they are targeting it," said Tolokonnikov.
Authorities have urged civilians to avoid the route unless absolutely necessary, and anti-drone nets are now being installed in the Chornobaivka area. Yet, once considered safe, the road is now lethal.
The strategy is clear: isolate, choke supply lines and break resistance without direct engagement. The city is being besieged - by unmanned systems alone. If this tactic succeeds, Kherson faces a humanitarian crisis.
Geography
Kherson sits on the right (western) bank of the Dnipro River. To the east lies the river, now a frontline, and the Russian-occupied left bank, from which artillery and drones strike the city daily. Around Kherson, the fields are mined and side dirt roads are destroyed - not accessible in wet weather and impassable for supply trucks. Russian forces continue remote mining. Large sections of key roads, such as the Mar'yanske-Beryslav road and the route to Snihurivka, are already compromised or under Russian drone control, according to Antypenko.
"The side roads closer to the river are under drone and artillery attack," said Oleh, a Kherson volunteer. "Security measures implemented by our authorities are not efficient enough. Remote mining is another problem."
The only open and accessible route to and from Kherson is the highway to Mykolaiv. This single a...
Packed with exclusive investigations, analysis, and features
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
A charred car, struck by a Russian FPV drone, caught Ukrainian photojournalist Ivan Antypenko's eye as he drove along the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway.
"Bad news," he wrote on social media.
Reporting from the south of Ukraine since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022, Antypenko has documented dozens of drone-struck vehicles. This one was different: he knew it was a harbinger of a drone siege.
For Kherson, a city of 60,000, separated from the Russian military by less than a mile of the Dnipro River and under non-stop attacks, the highway to Mykolaiv, a major seaport, is a lifeline to Ukrainian-controlled territory. The highway is Kherson's main artery for evacuation, aid and supply. In July 2025, that lifeline is being severed - from the sky. If this strategy succeeds, Kherson risks becoming the first city besieged by drones.
The city and its main highway are already a "kill zone" - a stretch near the frontline dominated by first-person-view (FPV) drones, remotely operated aircraft used by both sides to strike military and civilian targets with speed and precision. Shutting down Kherson's main road with FPV drones would allow Russian forces to encircle the city for the second time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 - this time, without setting foot on the ground.
Russian drone attacks along the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway increased to one to two cars per week during July 2025, according to Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
"There have been at least three recent attacks in Klapaya and near the Chornobaivka checkpoint," said Tolokonnikov in an interview with Byline Times. "One of the targeted vehicles belonged to the Chief Rabbi of Kherson - he and his family were unharmed."
Antypenko and other local journalists reported that farmers in the Kherson region could not harvest crops sown last autumn or spring due to attacks by large FPV drones and artillery setting fire to fields and agricultural equipment.
It is possible that the Russian military is shifting tactics because drone defence inside Kherson has improved, according to Tolokonnikov. Parts of the city are now shielded with anti-drone nets. Ukrainian forces use electronic warfare, small arms and target Russian drone crews across the river. As Kherson becomes harder to hit directly, Russian drone pilots are targeting its outskirts and the road to Mykolaiv.
"The Russians know it's a key route, and that is precisely why they are targeting it," said Tolokonnikov.
Authorities have urged civilians to avoid the route unless absolutely necessary, and anti-drone nets are now being installed in the Chornobaivka area. Yet, once considered safe, the road is now lethal.
The strategy is clear: isolate, choke supply lines and break resistance without direct engagement. The city is being besieged - by unmanned systems alone. If this tactic succeeds, Kherson faces a humanitarian crisis.
Geography
Kherson sits on the right (western) bank of the Dnipro River. To the east lies the river, now a frontline, and the Russian-occupied left bank, from which artillery and drones strike the city daily. Around Kherson, the fields are mined and side dirt roads are destroyed - not accessible in wet weather and impassable for supply trucks. Russian forces continue remote mining. Large sections of key roads, such as the Mar'yanske-Beryslav road and the route to Snihurivka, are already compromised or under Russian drone control, according to Antypenko.
"The side roads closer to the river are under drone and artillery attack," said Oleh, a Kherson volunteer. "Security measures implemented by our authorities are not efficient enough. Remote mining is another problem."
The only open and accessible route to and from Kherson is the highway to Mykolaiv. This single a...
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