A Russian attack drone using AI to select its target has killed three civilians in Ukraine, in what experts describe could be the first documented case of a Russian self-targeting drone causing civilian deaths. The 6 July strike in Zaporizhzhia has intensified fears over machines autonomously making life-or-death targeting decisions. The victims were 19-year-old university student Tetiana Bubynets, 41-year-old Oleksiy Svirin, and 48-year-old Roman Karpiy.
Russian operators reportedly programmed the drone to fly toward a gas station, where its onboard system selected a target, most likely propane tanks. Before reaching them, however, the drone crashed into a wall and exploded, killing all three civilians.
