By OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER

July 16, 2026

Russia has been dropping booby-trapped wet wipe packs and power banks onto the streets of Ukraine in a fresh wave of ‘crimes against civilians’, it has been claimed. 

The explosive-filled devices have been discovered in the battleground city of Kherson over the past few days

The charity Hope For Ukraine has accused Vladimir Putin of targeting innocent civilians and children, who may pick up the seemingly harmless items by mistake. 

There have also been reports of the Ukrainian military being sold the dangerous fake power banks that could explode when touched, causing death or serious injury. 

Russian forces have been targeting Kherson with anti-personnel mines for nearly two years but these are the first reports of explosives being hidden inside everyday items. 

Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, believes Putin is changing tactics because Kherson residents now know how to avoid the enemy’s uncamouflaged explosives.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘In Kherson, we are seeing the development of terror against civilians. 

Russian has reportedly been dropping packs of wet wipes filled with explosives on the streets of Ukraine

‘In springtime Russians would drop petal mines, we call them gingerbread mines. The public were alerted and people were staying away. 

‘Now from around mid-June we have been seeing the Russians hiding explosives in things such as boxes of napkins. 

‘Then three days ago we received an alert from city officials that they had discovered a power bank on the side of the street with explosives inside. 

‘It has become a very disturbing tendency and is very dangerous for children walking along the side of the street or even adults. 

‘Unsuspecting pedestrians may pick them up or step on them and get themselves killed. 

‘This is a war crime against civilians. The city is frightened to death.’

Kherson has been one of the most strategically important areas in the Russia–Ukraine war because of its location close to the mouth of the Dnipro River and its proximity to Crimea.

It was seized by Putin’s forces in March 2022 but Ukraine launched a major counter offensive in the region later that year and now controls Kherson city. 

A woman stands near a collapsed building after Russian artillery strikes hit residential areas in the Kherson region of Ukraine in October last year

Starmer says UK will not waver on support for Ukraine

It is believed the makeshift bombs are being flown into the city by drone and then dropped onto the streets.

Mr Boyechko explained civilians are now scared to go out, adding that it is a form of psychological warfare. 

He said: ‘Russia is not winning the battle on the battlefield against the Ukrainian army so they are using Kherson as a testing ground in their fight against civilians. 

‘These tactics have never been used in history before. It is psychological warfare.’

The explosive-filled charging packs and tissue boxes have sparked warnings from local officials.

Yaroslav Shanko, Head of Kherson City Military Administration, said: ‘The calculation is simple and cynical: a person may mistake such an object for a lost charging device, pick it up, or try to use it. 

‘The consequences could be fatal.’

He added: ‘I urge parents to talk to their children. Explain to them that you cannot pick up any items found on the street, even if they look safe or useful.’

The developments in Kherson come as at least three people were killed and 15 more injured in Russian strikes on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia yesterday. 

Critical infrastructure was also damaged in the bombardment, officials said.  

Meanwhile, outgoing UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday, just hours after the strikes.

He said that the UK’s support for Ukraine ‘will not waver’ and the prime ministerial transition will not ‘change that dynamic’.

Speaking to Sky News during his last interview on the trip, Sir Keir said: ‘I believe Ukraine will win this war.’

He added: ‘What they’ve shown is that it’s not just the size of your army, it’s how you fight a modern conflict.

‘And so they are probably the most effective fighting machine in Europe.’

Sir Keir, asked if he had had assurances from his successor over continuing support for Ukraine, told the broadcaster: ‘I would not have said what I said to President Zelensky which is really important, if I wasn’t confident about what I was saying.’

He added: ‘I’m not somebody else’s spokesperson. I’m not telling somebody else what to do or offering advice.

‘But this conflict is serious. This is about values of democracy and freedom, values that are really important to the British, and I would not have given assurance if I wasn’t 100 per cent confident about it.’