In brief
In a narrow residential street in Mayaky, a guided drone struck the roof of the Tavria supermarket and detonated on impact, shredding timber and scattering debris over the quarter. Three shoppers and staff suffered injuries, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky who swiftly blamed Russia for the assault. The incident is the latest confirmed case of Ukraine’s drone campaign during the fifth year of the Russo‑Ukrainian war, an engagement that has escalated military and civilian casualties since February 2022. The BBC footage shows the moment of impact with clear video evidence, adding to international calls for stricter enforcement of the Stockholm Convention on the use of drones.
May 17, 2024
A low‑flying drone slammed into the roof of Tavria supermarket in the Ukrainian town of Mayaky, a suburb of Odesa, and blew up on contact in a BBC‑verified, live‑streamed video. The impact ripped through timber, sending shrapnel across the surrounding streets and leaving a charred crater.
Three people were injured—two shoppers and a delivery driver—according to an emergency response report. President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly denounced the attack and said it was a retaliatory act by Russia.
The drone strike is the latest in a series of attacks targeting civilian infrastructure across eastern and southern Ukraine. Since the May 2022 full‑scale invasion by Russia, both sides have suffered thousands of civilian casualties, while troop‑to‑troop engagements continue to flare.
The footage, released by the BBC under a focused policy of corroboration, shows the drone’s approach, the roof impact and the ensuing explosion, providing concrete evidence for international observers and donors. It also underscores the urgent need for global humanitarian mechanisms to shield building stock and ordinary people from the increasing use of commercial and military drones in modern warfare.
