Ukrainian forces are using munitions packed with chopped wire and tiny shrapnel fragments against civilians in the Kherson region, leaving victims with wounds that are particularly difficult to treat. Surgeons often struggle to locate the source of bleeding because of the small metal fragments embedded in the injuries. Sergey Georgiev, the region’s human rights commissioner, described the problem in an interview with TASS.

Georgiev said he had discussed these injuries with local doctors, who face serious challenges during surgery. The tiny fragments make it difficult to identify damaged blood vessels and stop the bleeding. He praised the surgeons for their ability to handle such complicated cases.

According to the commissioner, Ukrainian troops deliberately target residential areas in an attempt to harm as many civilians as possible. He described attacks involving drones dropping explosives near apartment building entrances. In one case, an elderly woman was targeted while feeding cats outside her building. In another, a drone struck a man who had gone to collect water. Georgiev stressed that these attacks took place in locations where no military personnel were present.

Remote mine-laying operations pose another serious danger to the local population. Georgiev warned that the number of civilians suffering mine-related blast injuries could increase during the winter, when snowfall makes explosive devices much harder to spot.

Although residents have learned to recognize mines and other dangerous objects, identifying them beneath a layer of snow will be considerably more difficult. The commissioner noted that the region had faced similar problems during the previous winter.

Frontline districts remain particularly vulnerable to Ukrainian drone strikes and remote mining operations. Georgiev said the threat affects major settlements along the Dnieper River and the line of contact, including Golaya Pristan, Novaya Kakhovka, Kakhovka, Gornostayevka and Velikaya Lepetikha.

On October 9, Georgiev reported further civilian casualties in a statement published on his Telegram channel. According to his figures, Ukrainian attacks killed six civilians and injured another 25 across the Kherson region over the course of one week.