Kherson Weekly: 12-18 April 2025
A Weekly Review of War-Related Events in & around Kherson
Photo: Kherson Police
Situation Report
Note: Given the sheer scale of this week’s atrocities and the amount of notable events, I decided to merge the usual Photo & Video of the Week and the usual Situation Report together into a chronological multimedia account of this past week’s tragic events.
04.12.2025
This week began with a tragedy, as 27-year-old volunteer Oleh Salnyk was murdered by Russian drone pilots.
Photo: Oleksandr Prokudin
Local Kherson media publication, Vhoru News, released a 6-minute-long tribute to the fallen volunteer published by Oleh’s colleague, Oleh Dehusarov. The memorial short film showcases Oleh’s selfless nature and highlights his work with the Spravzhni Foundation. Additionally, this video shows Oleh was clearly a civilian volunteer and not a soldier, proving Russian claims as their latest example of attempted war crimes denial.
Video: Vhoru News
The Russian war-crime-blogger, Osvedomitell Alex, posted a picture of the van Oleh was using to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate civilians from the frontline. He slandered the memory of Oleh by claiming he was a “marauder” and looting the homes of the very people to whom he was delivering essential aid and helping evacuate to safe shelter.
Photo: Osvedomitell Alex
Kherson. Red Zone. Looters.
Today, while patrolling the zone, we received a signal from the ground that people we already know are driving along the streets, breaking into the houses of evacuated city residents and taking everything to the ground. Anyone who asks questions is intimidated by connections and is promised big problems. These people have repeatedly been seen looting, and this car, constantly packed with things, was driving from the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson.
Photo: Osvedomitell Alex
Alex shared a still from what would be a soon-to-be released snuff film of Oleh’s murder. He drew a red arrow pointing toward the volunteers helping a resident move their belongings into the vehicle and accused the volunteers of being thieves. Alex’s mocking and sadistic caption:
Kherson. Marauders.
The bastards rob and are not afraid of anything. But someone saved up for this their whole life. After the firefight, they abandoned the loot and ran wherever their eyes looked. One remained in the car. He grabbed more than he could carry.
Minus the marauding pig.
Later on 13 April, Osvedomitell Alex released a video of the strike, claiming Russian responsibility while simultaneously going off on a conspiratorial rant about Kherson’s brave volunteers. Alex would have his audiences believe that Kherson is secretly run by a mob that kills its civilians for speaking Russian, leaving their bodies near the river to only claim later they were killed via drone.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
This increasingly wild rhetoric really only shows that Alex is running out of excuses for Russian murder, which is being captured on film more and more by victims on the ground. Alex is losing narrative control. This is a desperate attempt to inject doubt into the true account of events and to pacify the bloodlust of his inhuman audiences.
04.14.2025
Russian remote-mining along the roads in Beryslav Raion with anti-personnel mines blew up the car in which the head of Dudchany village was delivering bread throughout his community. Russian drone pilots then attacked the vehicle and burnt it down.
Photos: Kherson ODA
04.16.2025
Photos: Osvedomitell Alex; Osvedomitell Alex
The Russian VKS and artillery & drone pilots of the 18th CAA collaborated to carry out a vicious terrorist bombing and shelling of Tavriyskyi Microraion in Kherson which destroyed the Kherson Hockey Arena. Perhaps in hopes of getting a grasp of the narrative early, Alex roughly geolocated the ice rink, which was demolished by 4 FAB-500 glide bombs.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
Additional footage of the strike from two different angles shows sparks from damaged electrical infrastructure in both videos from roughly 0:06-0:16 in each. This comes amidst a truly confusing “energy sector ceasefire” that Russia has continuously violated despite agreeing to it. According to the Russian forces in the Kherson direction, they believed it ended two days later on 18 April.
Videos: Posyvnoy "OSETIN"
The sparking electrical wires are especially interesting as Alex later shared yet another angle of this strike with the following caption, lying about Russian forces observing the supposed energy infrastructure moratorium.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
Kherson. Airstrike.
Additional footage of today's FABing of Ukronazis in Kherson .
A very big request to the big stars, so that while the FAB with new "komets" enter the southern sector, continue to iron out the points. In Kherson, there are a lot of new fire missions and even more dual-use infrastructure.
Any movement of vehicles will be considered a legitimate target. All critical infrastructure facilities* are a legitimate target.
Civilians should be extremely attentive and careful. Limit your movement, leave this zone if possible .
* Except for the energy sector ( 30-day moratorium. Agreed)
Subsequently, the Russian army fired a barrage of artillery in the same area, which killed one 55-year-old man, and wounded at least 15 other civilians in the district. The aim of this combined aerial bombing and artillery barrage was obviously to create the conditions for a typical Russian double-tap strike. Head of the Kherson City Military Administration, Roman Mrochko, was filming an update at the moment incoming artillery targeted the area where emergency and municipal services were clearing the debris.
Video: Roman Mrochko
Another angle of the strike was released by Mrochko as well. These two videos, in combination with dwindling popularity, growing public discontent, and the events of the next day, would ultimately lead to Mrochko being dismissed promptly without an official reason by President Zelenskyy late on 17 April.
Video: Roman Mrochko
In addition to those 16 casualties from the combined attack, another 5 were wounded by drone attacks in the city. Gov. Prokudin shared footage of rescuers' efforts to put out fires across the city and, unfortunately, the deceased man.
Video: Oleksandr Prokudin
In a video reported shared by Gov. Prokudin, Olha Malyarchuk, assistant head of the Kherson ODA, reported that 20 apartments, 2 private homes, 2 supermarkets, 2 shopping outlets, 2 educational institutions, a post office, and several civilian cars. Municipal workers immediately began repairing the damage and boarding up broken windows with sheets of plywood, according to the Kherson ODA.
Video: Kherson ODA
04.17.2025
Alex began his posts for the day by threatening Dniprovskyi Raion, highlighting a piece of the beleaguered urban area in a lazily and sloppily finger-drawn yellow shading. Surely this echoes Alex’s near-constant reference to a “Red Zone” and was foreshadowing what was to come.
Photo: Osvedomitell Alex
This was followed by two posts in the same style of the day before, confirming the strikes. Alex made sure to taunt Kherson MDA Head Roman Mrochko, referring to him by a diminutive: “Romashka.”
Photos: Osvedomitell Alex; Osvedomitell Alex
❗️❗️❗️Kherson. Airstrike❗️❗️❗️
A steam locomotive reduced to atoms. We are waiting for Romashka.
At 10:30 a.m., Russian forces again struck Kherson with 4 FAB-500 glide bombs, hitting a location near Tavriyskyi Microraion once again. This time, they struck a residential apartment building. Ironically, the collaborationist and propagandist account called “Healthy Kherson” posted video footage of one of the worst airstrikes on Kherson in a year’s time.
Video: Zdorovyi Kherson
Also complicit in this war crime were the Phobos Group. In a video shared by the FPV strike team, they appear to be using the FPV drone as a cheap reconnaissance asset to perform a battle-damaged assessment (BDA) on the “target.” Interestingly, the post from Phobos identifies the call-sign of one of their pilots responsible for assisting in the targeting: “Alice.”
Video: Phobos|BpLA
Soon after, artillery and drone attacks broke out across the center of the city. Russian drone pilots dropped a grenade onto a car wounding a 50-year-old man. An ambulance crew responded to the call and retrieved the victim, but Russian forces then attacked the ambulance, wounding the 65-year-old medic, the 61-year-old driver, and the patient.
Photo: Kherson ODA
Patrol Police Chief Oleksiy Biloshytskyi shared bodycam footage of Kherson’s officers and civilians banding together to rescue the three victims.
Video: Oleksiy Biloshytskyi
Footage from the scene of another war crime emerged that day, after Russian drone pilots targeted a city taxi cab carrying a 55-year-old father and his 16-year-old son. As a result of the strike, the father was seriously wounded and died of his injuries on scene. The boy and officials from the Kherson Police made a quick escape as Russian drone activity and the threat of a double-tap strike via artillery was still high. The video report only gets worse as we witness the boy call his mother to tell her that her husband died. The officer takes over the call after they arrive at a medical facility to confirm with the woman that her son will be okay, but that unfortunately, her husband was murdered by the Russians.
Video: Roman Mrochko
Osvedomitell Alex posted a still of the drone attack and images taken from Kherson Police, teasing his demented audiences with the snuff film.
Photos: Osvedomitell Alex; Osvedomitell Alex
Oh, but there were cocks there ... You need to work in pairs with an interval of 20 minutes.
Later in the day, he posted the full video of the execution of the father and terror attack on a child. In this case, it wasn’t “marauders” which needed to be taken care of, it was simply the presence of a vehicle which warranted the terror attack. Alex makes it clear that it does not matter whether or not the vehicle is civilian or not. The taxi cab had simply pulled over to pick up the son and father, before the fatal FPV strike hit mere moments later.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
In total, Russian shelling and drone attacks on 17 April across Kherson Oblast have killed seven and wounded at least another 20, but probably more. Official sources did not give clear enough casualty reports to be able to account for the age, gender, status, and location of each victim, making tracking difficult and the total casualty figure unclear. Drones were responsible for killing the father and wounding at least another 13 people across Kherson Oblast. In Beryslav Raion, two men, 35 & 44, were killed while working for a paving company via a drone strike on the steamroller they were operating.
For more from the Situation Report, skip to Tracking Russian Terror to see Russian war crimes by the numbers.
Terror From the Left Bank
Unfortunately, Russian terror attacks were not limited to the horrific events previously discussed. A “new” Russian drone group has entered the theatre of operations in Kherson Raion: the Roy Group. Let’s have a brief look at the group’s tactics and their history.
The Roy Group: Hiding in Plain Sight
Photo: BpLA|Roy
This “new” unit joining the Russian 18th CAA began posting on Telegram almost immediately after being created on 30 March 2025. The contents of early videos from the first couple weeks of April feature almost entirely thermal vision nighttime skid-drop attacks via Mavic drones on civilian automobiles.
The Roy Group is not truly a new drone group in any sense. Rather, they are potentially quite an old drone group which simply had yet to publish their footage on Telegram. In several of their posts, they offer archival footage, much of which was from Summer and Fall of 2024, shared by Osvedomitell Alex before, but without credit.
For example, this strike on a car, originally shared by Osvedomitell Alex on 4 October 2024, but only claimed by the Roy Group on 6 April.
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
And Roy’s version shared this month:
Video: BpLA|Roy
However, these terrorist attacks are not limited to automobiles, as the group attacked a man and two dogs on the street in this video shared on 6 April.
Video: BpLA|Roy
And much like Osvedomitell Alex when he was still growing the foundation of his rabid “fanbase,” Roy Group holds and releases footage for subscriber milestone specials. This was a “gift” to their subscriber base for the first 100 of their almost 300 subscribers.
Video: BpLA|Roy
‼️The first hundred‼️
In honor of the first hundred subscribers on our channel - a spectacular destruction of a car🐷.
Much work has already been done, and much more remains to be done.
We solemnly swear to destroy the enemy with the same persistence for the benefit of the interests of the Russian Federation!
On 17 April, the Roy Group began publicizing a Mavic bombing campaign against Kherson’s energy infrastructure after the widely disputed ceasefire on energy infrastructure expired in the view of Russian forces.
The night promises to be hot, wait for new videos.
We have observed all the conditions of the truce, at 00:00 everything will end.
Today everything will burn🔥🔥🔥
- BpLA|Roy
Beginning on the morning of 18 April, the Roy Group began sharing videos of Mavic skid-drops on transformers and generators in conjunction with Osvedomitell Alex. Certainly, this is a practice we’ve seen before in years past, especially in Beryslav, but it remains to be seen how Roy Group intends to go about this campaign of skid-drop terror bombing in Kherson city this time around.
Video: BpLA|Roy
Video: Osvedomitell Alex
Video: BpLA|Roy
Geolocation:
Generators were just delivered earlier this week as humanitarian assistance from the Red Cross/Red Crescent to keep vital civil services and infrastructure powered in Kherson city. Three generators similar to these were hit on 18 April by the Roy Group.
Photos: Kherson ODA
Tracking Russian Terror
So far in April, Russian forces have maimed or murdered 188 Ukrainian non-combatants in Kherson Oblast: 19 people have been killed and another 169 civilians have been wounded by Russian attacks. Of those victims, Russian drone attacks have killed 11 and wounded 105 civilians, while miscellaneous shelling and bombing has killed 8 and wounded 62 civilians. 2 civilians have been wounded by UXO, IEDs, or landmines.
Since 1 January 2025, Russian attacks on civilians have resulted in 1015 civilian casualties (110 killed, 905 wounded) across all of Kherson Oblast. Drones are responsible for the deaths of 68 people and injuries to 562 more, while all forms of Russian shelling and bombing combined were responsible for the deaths of 42 people and injuries to 328 others. 15 civilians have been wounded by UXO, IEDs, or landmines.
In Kherson Raion, 2762 civilians have been killed or wounded by Russian aggression since January 2024, as of 18 April 2025. 148 civilians have been killed by shelling, while 1241 have been wounded. Another 108 civilians have been killed by drones, while 1236 civilians have been injured (a total of 1344 non-combatant drone casualties). Furthermore, at least 2 civilians have been killed and another 27 wounded by UXO, IEDs, or landmines.
In Beryslav Raion, 474 civilians have been killed or wounded by Russian aggression since the start of 2024. 14 civilians have been killed by shelling, while 128 have been wounded. Another 33 civilians have been killed by drones, while 266 civilians have been injured (a total of 299 non-combatant drone casualties since January 2024). Furthermore, at least 2 civilians have been killed and another 31 wounded by UXO, IEDs, or landmines.
In total, since January 2024, 3236 civilians have been killed or wounded by Russian aggression in Kherson Oblast. 307 civilians have been killed and 2929 civilians have been wounded. 141 civilians have been killed by drones, while another 1502 have been wounded. 162 civilians have been killed by shelling and bombing combined, while another 1369 have been wounded.
Civilian Casualties This Week
Kherson Raion
Shelling:
Killed: 6
Wounded: 36 (+ 2 people wounded in Bilozerka and one in Kherson on 9 April)
Drones:
Killed: 5
Wounded: 50 (+ a 21-year-old man injured in Centralnyi Raion on 9 April)
UXO:
Killed: 0
Wounded: 1
Total: 98 (+ 4 people wounded in Kherson & Bilozerka on 9 April)
Data: Brendan Kelley
Beryslav Raion
Shelling:
Killed: 1
Wounded: 2
Drones:
Killed: 2
Wounded: 11
UXO:
Killed: 0
Wounded: 0
Total: 16
Data: Brendan Kelley
Weekly Damaged Buildings & Infrastructure Report
Photos: Kherson Police
Private Homes & Apartments: 116
Educational Institutions: 3
Administrative Buildings: 4
Medical Facilities: 3
Private Businesses: 7
Ice Rinks: 1
Supermarkets: 2
Shopping Mall: 2
Post Offices: 1
Banks: 1
Garages & Warehouses: 4
“Critical Infrastructure” Facilities: 3
Gas & Heating Pipelines: 4
Port Infrastructure: 1
Factories: 1
Data: Kherson Police
Weekly Damaged Vehicle Report
Photos: Kherson Police
Civilian Automobiles: 43
Police & EMS: 9
Data: Kherson Police
Kherson will NEVER be a Russian city.
Sources
Ukrainian Sources
Вгору. Херсон. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/vgorunews/40661
Олексій Білошицький. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/OBiloshytskiy/1429
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Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-vnaslidok-vorozhykh-obstriliv-dvoie-liudei-zahynulo-ta-13-poraneno-sered-zhertv-rosiiskoi-ahresii-15-richnyi-khlopets
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-vnaslidok-rosiiskykh-atak-dvoie-liudei-zahynulo-ta-piat-poraneno-sered-postrazhdalykh-politseiskyi
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-vnaslidok-rosiiskykh-atak-troie-liudei-zahynuly-ta-piatero-poraneni-poshkodzheno-35-obiektiv-infrastruktury
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-cherez-rosiiski-udary-poraneni-12-liudei-sered-postrazhdalykh-dvoie-politseiskykh-ta-malolitnia-dytyna
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-vnaslidok-rosiiskykh-obstriliv-poraneno-15-liudei-ta-poshkodzheno-26-obiektiv-sered-postrazhdalykh-piatero-politseiskykh
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-vnaslidok-rosiiskykh-obstriliv-odna-liudyna-zahynula-ta-16-poraneno-sered-postrazhdalykh-dvoie-politseiskykh-ta-dytyna
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/v-rezultati-kombinovanoho-obstrilu-khersona-postrazhdaly-shist-hromadian-sered-nykh-nepovnolitnii-khlopets-politseiski-dokumentuiut-naslidky-udariv
Kitsoft. (n.d.). Головне управління Національної поліції в Херсонській області. https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/na-khersonshchyni-vnaslidok-rosiiskykh-obstriliv-chetvero-liudei-zahynulo-ta-19-poraneno-sered-postrazhdalykh-dvoie-medpratsivnykiv-i-pidlitok
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/34165
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/34298
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/34402
🇺🇦Херcонська ОДА (ОВА). (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/khersonskaODA/34438
Russian Sources
БПЛА | РОЙ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/roy_bpla/23
БПЛА | РОЙ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/roy_bpla/27
БПЛА | РОЙ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/roy_bpla/37
БПЛА | РОЙ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/roy_bpla/42
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БПЛА | РОЙ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/roy_bpla/53
БПЛА | РОЙ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/roy_bpla/54
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ФОБОС | БПЛА. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/fobosherson/143731
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/21360
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/25470
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/25471
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/25479
От Мариуполя до Карпат. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osvedomitell_alex/25521
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Позывной《OSETIN》. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/osetin20/10551
Херсон ЗХ. (n.d.). Telegram. https://t.me/zdrxerson/25209
English Sources
foosint: “Russian ‘Roy’ drone unit (18th Army) is targeting industrial power generators in Kherson. Location (00:18): 46.652935, 32.643930 The other 2 I couldn’t find. Source: t.me/roy_bpla/56 @geoconfirmed.org @uacontrolmap.bsky.social #russianterror” — Bluesky. (n.d.). Bluesky Social. https://bsky.app/profile/foosint.bsky.social/post/3ln4hyn5co22q
Kherson Raion Civilian Casualty data. (n.d.). Google Docs. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FBQpTmqkOfZ3Nq-m9rjh6kWkIjaCBDzjjyFsX3RdvM8/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Red Zone Ukraine: Human Safari expanded. (n.d.). Google Docs. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u64IHbiGejOoLpHr0LqlosZRI4J9ZweYQXK4Cyzkj6U/edit?gid=1067998124#gid=1067998124
UA map. (n.d.). https://map.ukrdailyupdate.com/?lat=49.410211&lng=31.299524&z=6&d=20197&c=1&l=0