Ukrainian Drone ‘Captures’ Russian Soldier Defending Himself with Scrap Metal

A video circulating on social media depicts a Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drone “forcing” a Russian soldier to surrender.

“The drone captures the occupier. He resisted very strongly,” read the video caption posted by Ukrainian military journalist Andriy Tsaplienko on Telegram.

In the video, which Kyiv Post could not independently verify, the Russian soldier is seen trying to ward off the Ukrainian drone, even in desperation throwing pieces of metallic debris from a damaged infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) at it.

“But the drone from the 79th Brigade had both time and persistence, ultimately forcing the enemy to raise his hands and walk toward Ukrainian positions,” the report said.

Earlier this year, Ukraine’s West Operational Command released another video with a similar caption: “A MAVIC drone captured a Russian soldier,” adding: “The future has already arrived. Now our drones are capturing Russian soldiers.”

That footage showed the Russian soldier observing the drone overhead then eventually walking towards it as it leads him to a point where he can surrender to Ukrainian forces.

In an interview with Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian aerial scout explained that the drone had guided the soldier to a safe surrender point.

“Sometimes, a MAVIC drone drops a note saying, ‘Go surrender, you won’t be harmed, and they’ll feed you’,” he told Kyiv Post.

Other Topics of Interest

Russia Strikes Ukraine With Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Air Force Reports

If this information is confirmed, it would be the first time such a weapon had been used since Russia invaded in February 2022.

The scout added that the MAVIC drone operator can even “nod” or “shake” the UAV’s camera to indicate “yes” or “no.”

In January, the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade published footage showing a Ukrainian soldier who had been captured by Russian forces and held in an enemy trench, successfully being guided by a drone back to Ukrainian lines.