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An 84-year-old goat herder was “blown to pieces” by a Russian drone that landed on her and her animals in a Ukrainian city that has become known as a “human safari zone.”
Larisa Mironyevna Vakulyuk, 84 — known locally as Baba Lora or Grandma Lora — was walking with two of her goats early Monday along the Antonivka neighborhood, in Kherson, when they were struck by a Russian UAV, the New Voice of Ukraine reported.
Zarina Zabrisky, an American journalist based in Kherson, confirmed the deadly strike having interviewed the 84-year-old last month, describing the bloody aftermath as one of the worst she’s seen since Russia began targeting Kherson’s civilians daily using First-Person-View (FPV) drones.
“Her legs were blown off, she was blown to pieces,” Zabrisky told The Post about the images of the body provided to her.
“In my three-and-a-half- years of reporting on this war, I’ve seen many deaths, but this one was one of the hardest to look at,” she added.
Zabrisky described Vakulyuk as a short woman with a sweet smile and kind presence who was known locally for tending to her herd of goats despite the regular attacks on civilians in Kherson.
During their interview in September, Vakulyuk vented her frustrations about the destruction caused by the war, including the damage done to her own house.
“Everyone is afraid. All are scared, but each has hope,” Vakulyuk said of the desperate situation.
Kherson’s Main Directorate of the National Police confirmed Vakulyuk’s death on Tuesday, noting that she died instantly in the drone strike.
Local volunteer Andriy Petukhov said he made the trek to retrieve her body, finding it along with the corpses of her two goats, according to local reports
It was one of several drone strikes aimed at the region on Monday, with the attacks leaving four others injured and damaging several residential buildings, schools and homes, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia has been regularly attacking Kherson’s civilian population since the summer of 2024.
Ukrainian and human rights groups have accused Moscow of effectively transforming the area into a “human safari zone.”
Nearly 150 civilians were killed in the initial summer assault and hundreds more injured, according to the United Nations.
The attacks have continued against Kherson, sparking outrage over Moscow’s tactic in July following reports of a 1-year-old boy who was targeted and killed by a Russian drone while he was playing outside.
“At first, people didn’t want to believe such atrocities were possible,” Zabrisky said of her coverage of the drone assaults. “People here have gotten used to it now.”
