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Russian soldier kills four in Crimea shooting spree

Four people died in Crimea after a Russian soldier opened fire, while Ukraine accused Russia of a drone attack targeting a street vendor in Kherson.

Updated last month5 new reports, including Al Jazeera, Washington Times, PBS NewsHour and 1 more.

·2 min read·11 outlets
Photo via Ilya Varlamov / CC BY-SA 4.0

The short version

A Russian soldier killed four people in Crimea, including a colleague. Separately, Ukraine reported a Russian drone attack on a street vendor in Kherson. Kyiv called the drone strike a war crime.

A Russian soldier killed four people in Crimea, including a fellow soldier and three civilians, according to reports from The Straits Times and The Independent.2,4 The soldier also injured three others during the shooting spree in Russian-occupied Crimea, UPI reported.5 Ukraine accused Russia of committing a war crime after a video showed a drone chasing and wounding a street vendor in Kherson.3,6,7,8,10

Ukrainian police stated the vendor, a man in his 50s, survived the drone attack, which occurred around a van used as a street stand.7 The video released by Ukrainian authorities shows the drone pursuing the vendor before exploding near him as he took cover.6,7,8 Kyiv called for a strengthened defense package and reliable security guarantees in response to the drone attack, The Straits Times reported.3

Russian forces launched ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv early on August 5, according to multiple outlets.11,12,14 At least six explosions were reported in Kyiv, with one striking a 20-story residential building in the Obolonskyi district, causing a large fire.12,14 Ukraine and Russia traded accusations of drone attacks that killed five civilians in each country earlier on August 4.13,9

The U.N. children's agency urged both sides to uphold international humanitarian law, citing child deaths in Russia's Belgorod and Krasnodar regions and Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions.9 Russia reported seven civilians, including three children, killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a beach, according to NBC News.1

“Kyiv called for 'a powerful defence and deterrence package for Ukraine, and reliable, guaranteed security'.”
Ukrainian government statement3

Where outlets disagree

  • Reports conflict on whether the drone attack in Kherson was intended to kill or merely wound the vendor. Ukrainian sources described it as a deliberate 'human safari' attack, while no motive was provided by Russian authorities.6,7,8,10

Why it matters

  • Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014, following its annexation from Ukraine, a move recognized by most countries as illegal.4

  • Kherson is a southern Ukrainian city that has been a frequent target of Russian drone and missile strikes since the invasion began in 2022.7,8

  • Ballistic missiles are long-range weapons that travel at high speeds and are difficult to intercept, often used to target urban areas.11,12,14

This account was written from the 14 reports listed below, filed by 11 independent outlets, and checked against them line by line. It is not a copy of any one of them. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Well corroborated11 outlets
Left3Center7Right1

14 reports from 11 outlets. The numbers in the article point here.

Left-leaning3
Center10
Right-leaning1

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