Children are being lured to their deaths by toy-like mines deployed by Russia to “devastate” southern Ukraine.
Named “prynik” – Russian for “gingerbread” – they are small enough to fit in a person’s palm, round and deceptively harmless at a glance.
Yuri Boyechko, founder of Hope for Ukraine, told The Sun that Kherson has been transformed into a veritable urban “minefield” as Russia uses cheap, agile FPV drones to scatter camouflaged weapons.
This device developed relatively recently RussiaDrone terror, first seen about a month ago.
Boyechko described it as “the deliberate weaponization of backyards and doors, a deliberate effort to make life uninhabitable.”
“Gingerbread” is not designed to destroy an armored vehicle such as a tank. Instead, they are designed to maim or kill.
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“Getting to the pharmacy is becoming a gamble with amputations,” he said. “This is a big problem.
“Russia is using FPV drones to drop these mines in all residential areas of Kherson.
“If an adult step On this, or if a child gets this while playing in the grass… it will blow them up, or injure them badly.’
He said: “At the moment, civilians face two types of threats – one from the air, from FPV drones that Target directly.
“The second is the minefield beneath their feet.”
Located along the Black Sea, Kherson is almost directly on borderlineRussian forces were waiting for a misstep across the Dnieper River.
Its streets are lined with anti-drone nets, set to begin in May 2024 following Russia’s infamous “human safari” on the city they once occupied.
The liberation marked the beginning of a new phase of the enemy terror campaign, as Russian drone operators hunted down Ukrainians on the streets in real time.
The daily life of 60,000 residents takes place in the basements. Anyone daring to step outside risks being targeted by Russian drones – and now he’s stepping on a mine.
Deployed a mile away, the Russians do not need sophisticated equipment to target residents.
“They’re using first-person drones that cost as little as $500, not long-range,” Boyechko said of the strategy.
“Ukrainian authorities tried to put nets around the streets to stop mining but they could not put nets across the entire city.
“This is open-air terror and their goal is to make Kherson unlivable; to make life so miserable that people are forced to leave.
“Then, it will be very easy for them to recapture the city… We are already under attack 24/7.
“The worst thing is that residents are forced to spend most of their time in the basement. There is always something hanging in the air.”
Drones, as well as mines, raise hope ukraineA humanitarian operation is almost impossible.
When teams try to bring food to desperate people, they themselves become a magnet for attacks “within minutes.”
Boyechko described how the NGO – which is still operating in the city – has had to adapt.
“Many people are hesitant to come out of their hideouts when we deliver aid,” he said.
“Every time they open the door, they hear a loud buzzing sound in the air.
“When we distribute, we always try to find big trees (to hide under)… In the open air you become a target within minutes.
“When we make deliveries, we try to schedule them during inclement weather because it’s safer.”
Just a few weeks ago a Ukrainian man became the victim of one of the deadly “gingerbreads” during his morning drive.
In January, another resident died shortly after stepping on a Soviet “petal” mine that the Russians had deliberately scattered.
Hope for Ukraine is working to raise greater awareness of the strategy to reduce the deaths of innocents.
“Gingerbread” munitions are 3D-printed anti-personnel mines wrapped in camouflage fabric.
Their compact size makes them extremely difficult to spot, as they disappear into grass and litter – sometimes even being mistaken for toys.
Volodymyr Prieppelytsia of the national police in the Kherson region told Suspline that they are an improved version of the “Prynik” mines – but more sophisticated and more powerful.
They appear to be a reaction to the lack of standard PFM-1 “Butterfly” mines, which look like toys, making them particularly dangerous to curious children.
After testing the “gingerbread”, Perepelitsya said that the average activation pressure is seven kilograms, which means that even a child can trigger the explosive.
There is also a risk of spontaneous self-explosion due to nearby activities.
Severe shortages of de-miners and equipment made it difficult to clear Kherson of such highly volatile weapons.
The teams are already under pressure due to the large explosives buried in the ground – they have been put under stress. Either way, their efforts could not match the speed of the Russian army.
As of 1 April 2026, a total of 1,431 people, including 147 children, have been injured by Russian mines and explosive remnants of war since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Russian soldiers are ‘shooting down their own drones’
Desperate Russian soldiers are reportedly shooting down their own drones and then disguising them as Ukrainian aircraft so they can claim combat bonuses.
It comes as terrifying claims emerge that Vladimir Putin’s troops are turning to cannibalism as they run out of provisions.
United24 media reported that the Russians shot down their own drone due to coordination failures and administrative confusion.
But Mad Vlad’s desperate boys are once again pretending to shoot down a Ukrainian drone so they can claim the cash prize.
Pro-Russian media describe the situation as a “time bomb”, fearing that almost all of Putin’s drones could soon come under attack from his own hapless troops.
The chaos was reportedly caused by drone operators not warning firing teams about their launch.
And firing squads are struggling to tell Russian and Ukrainian drones apart, with one source saying: “They will shoot down anything they see.”
In the Kherson region, authorities have opened 356 criminal cases involving civilian casualties caused by mines and other explosive devices.
An estimated 140 people have been killed and 253 others injured in the past four years.
Following in the footsteps of Princess Diana, Prince Harry has partnered with Hi Trust to raise awareness of the importance of de-mining in Ukraine.
The Duke of Sussex, clad in body armour, was photographed in the town of Bucha, an hour’s drive from Kiev – an area filled with explosives in the first few months of the war.
Speaking on the technique used by the charity, he said: “Almost 30 years ago, when my mother visited Angola, de-miners worked their way up on their hands and knees, painstakingly uncovering hidden explosives.
“Today, thanks to innovation, they are using drones, AI and robots To perform this important work with greater accuracy and safety.”
