Nikopol in southern Ukraine rarely makes headlines, but it is overshadowed by the threat to the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant directly across the river. But local officials say the city, which is on the front lines of Russia’s full-scale invasion, has been attacked almost every day since the war began.
Its proximity to Russian military positions, just two miles away on the other side of the Dnipro River, means civilians are at increased risk of attack by short-range Russian drones.
“In fact, we have become somewhat accustomed to the danger, but the feeling of fear will never go away,” said Oleksandr Varytsev, a poet and operator of a local charity that provides hot meals to the elderly and disabled. “It’s very scary. If it’s scary for me, you can imagine how older men and women feel when they come to our volunteer center.”
A horrifying video posted by authorities in June showed a small Russian-made drone targeting an elderly woman in a wheelchair, an attack that killed three people, including an 87-year-old woman and her son. In April, a further four people were killed in a drone attack on a city bus.
These are just two examples of Russian FPV (first-person view) drones attacking civilians rather than military assets, but the phenomenon is also occurring in the frontline cities of Kherson and Kramatorsk. Russia has repeatedly claimed that it is targeting the Ukrainian military threat in Nikopol, despite evidence to the contrary.
Varytsev said that in recent months, drone sightings in Nikopol have increased from two to three per day to about three per hour, day and night.
The continuing threat of drones is forcing civilians here to change their daily behavior to avoid becoming victims of Russia’s so-called “human safari.” They avoid standing in outdoor spaces such as bus stops. Schools and kindergartens were closed. Private services such as the National Post Office of Ukraine and city buses are also regularly suspended.
“People are afraid to walk on the streets, but they are adapting to the new reality,” Varytsev said. “We always keep our heads up and no longer look at our feet.”
Before the invasion began, Nikopol had a population of about 100,000 people and was known primarily for its strawberries grown for the Ukrainian market. Local authorities now estimate that half of the population has left their homeland.
“The city is emptying out before our eyes. The situation is very dangerous and attacks are increasing every day,” said Oleksiy Kirilov, who has been working in Nikopol’s cargo transport for more than 20 years. Since the war began, his focus has been more on evacuation facilitation than on shipping operations, he said.
Over the past four years, he has learned to differentiate between combat drones and slow-moving reconnaissance drones. And while the fear has dulled, it has never gone away. “Only fools are not afraid.”
Nikopol is increasingly covered in overhead fishing nets that can trap FPV drones, a new reality in Ukraine for almost every frontline city from Kherson to Kramatorsk. Local residents said they are working to extend the netting that covers roads to sidewalks to make it safer to walk around.
The drone threat is also driving other innovations, such as notifying civilians of incoming drones through city-wide warning apps. Some companies and emergency personnel are also equipped with drone detection devices called Chuykas.
Experts say relatively simple handheld detection devices that beep when a threat is coming are effective at tracking drones that operate on analog radio frequencies, but cannot identify drones that fly on preset routes, use fiber-optic cables or transmit digital signals.
“It’s better than doing nothing, but it’s not a silver bullet,” said Carmine Clemente, professor of radar systems at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. “It probably takes at least a few minutes to get off the bus and try to get far enough away to hide.”
Katerina Bondar, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the device, made by the Ukrainian company Bluebird Tech, is being sold to the private sector even more than the military.
He said the device is being adopted not only by military personnel, but also across the frontline community, including bus companies, drivers, emergency personnel and medical workers.
“Unfortunately, the Russians are using these areas to train drone pilots or simply carry out psychological campaigns to hunt people, so any civilian population could become a target,” said Bondar, a defense innovation expert and former adviser to the Ukrainian government.
Mykola Koshelev, who runs a transportation company in Nikopol, said detection devices are expensive, costing about $500 each, and difficult for drivers to operate themselves. Instead, his company used Zello, an app run by a private company, to notify local residents that Russian drones were flying nearby.
“They (drones) are there every day, especially in the mornings between 7 and 9 a.m., flying in swarms,” he said. “When the buses get too close, the driver stops the bus and the passengers get off and move away.” In areas of the city without internet connectivity, bus drivers use walkie-talkies to communicate where the drones are flying.
“There is no other way to keep people safe than by being careful,” Koshelev said, adding that with public transport increasingly targeted, drivers are often afraid to go to work. “I’ve been in this business for as long as I can remember, and I never could have imagined something like this would happen. Passenger numbers overall have decreased, but people have increased their trust in drivers and become friendlier.”
Local radio station RadioNikopol has added a feature to its app that allows anyone who spots a drone to immediately report it to the radio station. Whenever there is information to relay about the location of a drone threat, an announcer enters with music playing. One song was interrupted three times while CNN listened.
Meanwhile, on rail trips across the country, it has become commonplace for people to be forced to evacuate if a drone is spotted nearby. Civilians have been taught to deploy in different directions from stopped trains as authorities try to reduce the possibility of mass casualty incidents.
According to Ukrainian authorities, there have been more than 5,000 attacks on Ukrainian railways since the invasion began in earnest in 2022.
“The situation on the railways has deteriorated rapidly over the past year,” locomotive driver Igor Zachepilov told CNN. “It’s like they’re cornering us. Not just the freight trains, but the passenger trains as well.”
Zachepilov said protocols are constantly being adapted, and frequent power outages to the overhead power line system and frequent evacuations have made his job more difficult. In many cases, civilians are forced to take shelter in open fields, considered safer than remaining inside targeted trains, sometimes waiting for hours with nowhere to hide.
“There was one time we did an evacuation. We were stationary at the station for quite a long time, about two hours,” Zachepilov recalled, adding that part of his job was trying to reassure passengers in the face of his own fears. “I heard explosions in the distance. There were drones buzzing overhead and they were being shot down. It was a little scary. I didn’t know where to hide.”
All these adaptations and lessons from cities like Nikopol could influence the future of Western national defense, analysts say, as drone warfare becomes the new normal. Ukraine’s military and civil society have become experts among Western allies, while Russia and Iran are developing their own capabilities.
Clemente, a professor of radar systems, pointed out that Ukrainian industry has become very agile to deal with evolving threats. “New solutions may be needed within about six months of a new threat arriving,” he says. “And the sooner the better.”
Kirilov, a cargo business owner who has returned to Nikopol, said his family continues to adapt but continue to get back on its feet.
“We used to have a lot of friends. Now there are only a few left. The children don’t play outside for more than two hours a day,” he said.
However, he has no plans to go anywhere at this stage. “Maybe we’ll organize a fundraiser or buy a drone detector so we can respond quickly to threats. This is our home. We’re not leaving.”
