Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Additionally, the Kremlin seems to be preparing the groundwork for future aggression against NAOs eastern flank.
Sniper safaris.
In a 2022 documentary, the term was introduced to the broader public, and people were horrified when they heard what it was.
The term describes a phenomenon during the siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1996, where wealthy foreigners and tourists allegedly paid upwards of €100,000 to Bosnian Serb soldiers for a chance to kill people in Sarajevo, including children.
The allegations are currently being investigated by Italian prosecutors, but on the ground in Ukraine, a new kind of safari is now being used by Russia as a deliberate tactic:
Human safaris.
Civilian targets hit
According to the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, Russian forces carried out a drone strike on April 7 targeting a bus in Nikopol. Regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said at least four civilians were killed and 24 others injured.
Later the same day, another bus was struck in the nearby Chervonohryhorivka community, leaving at least five civilians wounded, Hanzha reported.
These incidents follow a similar attack on April 4, when a drone strike on a market in Nikopol killed five people and injured dozens more.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed in its April 8 update on the war that such strikes reflect a broader tactic, describing the repeated use of drones to deliberately locate and hit civilians and infrastructure.
Tactics under scrutiny
ISW analysts say these operations go beyond traditional battlefield strategy. They argue that drone use in these cases is aimed at restricting civilian movement and access, particularly by targeting roads and public transport.
In fact, the analysts describe Russian attacks as “human safari tactics”, which involve deliberately using FPV drones to search for and strike civilian targets.
Unlike standard air interdiction, which typically focuses on military or dual-use infrastructure, these strikes appear to center on civilian areas.
Such actions, if confirmed, would constitute violations of international law governing armed conflict.
Baltic tensions rise
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has issued warnings to Baltic states over what it claims is their involvement in Ukrainian drone operations.
Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow could take “retaliatory measures” if these countries allow drones to operate from their airspace.
Russian lawmakers have echoed the claims, accusing Baltic governments of being “complicit” and suggesting possible countermeasures, including airspace enforcement and blockades.
ISW warns that such statements may signal an effort by the Kremlin to justify broader regional escalation.
Sources: Institute for the Study of War, regional Ukrainian authorities, documentary Sarajevo Safari by Miran Zupanič
