[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] The Russian Armed Forces are drawing outrage after dropping drones carrying wet wipes and portable power banks packed with explosives in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson.
Ukrainian authorities and humanitarian groups have urged people to be extremely cautious, warning that children and ordinary civilians could lose their lives if they casually pick up the items.
According to the Daily Mail and other foreign media outlets, the international aid group Hope For Ukraine, which supports Ukraine, said that suspicious wet wipe cases and power banks fitted with explosives had recently been found one after another across Kherson city. Their appearance is said to be no different from ordinary household items, making it likely that residents could mistake them for lost property and pick them up.
The group claimed that the Russian Armed Forces are threatening civilians with a new tactic that uses everyday items instead of conventional anti-personnel mines.
It added, "In the spring, the Russian Armed Forces scattered large numbers of flower-shaped anti-personnel mines, but residents began avoiding them once they recognized the danger." It continued, "Since mid-June, cases have emerged in which explosives were hidden inside wet wipe cases, and more recently, power banks containing explosives have also been found along roadsides."
The group also criticized the tactic, saying, "Not only children but adults could pick up these objects without suspicion and suffer fatal harm," and calling it "a war crime against civilians and an extreme form of psychological warfare."
Local officials believe the explosives were carried over the city by drones and dropped in various locations across the streets.
Authorities in Kherson, Ukraine, said, "The goal is to lure civilians into picking up and using items that look like power banks," adding, "The result could be deadly."
They also stressed, "Parents must teach their children never to pick up or touch anything they find on the street."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
