This is when the Russian army drone-bombed its own soldiers as they tried to surrender to Ukraine.
Harrowing footage shows an attack group of seven clearly holding their hands up as they emerge from the cover of foliage before lying face down on the ground.
They had entered the territory of the Ukrainian army on the Donetsk front line, but decided to give up when they were cornered.
But it appears that Putin’s commanders were unwilling to allow the soldiers, who might have to fight under duress, to move into Ukrainian territory to safety.
The disturbing video, released by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, then shows a kamikaze drone exploding, killing all but one of the men running for its life.
Harrowing footage shows a seven-strong attack group clearly holding their hands up as they emerge from the cover of foliage
The soldiers had entered the Ukrainian army’s territory on the Donetsk front line, but decided to give up when they were cornered.
The soldiers were then seen lying face down in the ground
The disturbing video then shows a kamikaze drone exploding, killing all but one of the men running for its life.
It is not clear whether the bombing was intentional, but the alleged war crime could be seen as an escalation of recent reports that Russian snipers have shot deserting soldiers.
In the video, the Ukrainian drone commander told the UAV pilot, “Don’t throw, don’t throw.” This was an instruction not to drop bombs on them.
“You will overtake them and lead them south,” he was ordered.
The Ukrainian drone then began directing them toward positions of Kiev’s 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
It was at this point that the Russian kamikaze drone struck and began bombing the surrendering Russian soldiers.
Such an action is considered a war crime because the surrender of the soldiers is covered by the Geneva Conventions.
The attack appears to have been carried out by a Russian kamikaze drone
The footage shows one man running ahead of the drone attack and managing to escape the ambush from his own side
The footage shows one man running ahead of the drone attack and managing to escape the ambush from his own side.
The brigade indicated that of the seven who surrendered, he was not the only one who fled.
Explaining the images, the brigade said: “The Russian visitors made the right decision: to surrender. Seven of them emerged from the forest [but there was] a catch.”
They added sarcastically, “Soon.” [our drone] pilots began to withdraw with the prisoners, the Russian army carried out a courageous bombardment…
“They accurately took down a number of them [men] – not everyone ended up safely in the hands of our brigade…’
The release of the images comes after a frontline soldier, known only as ‘Viktor’, said morale among Russian troops has fallen to an all-time low and he is not alone in his feelings.
Russian reservists called up during the partial mobilization attend a ceremony before departure to military bases, in Sevastopol, Crimea, September 27, 2022
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 227 during World War II – known for its famous phrase, “Not a step back!”
His thoughts were conveyed in an intercepted message to I Want To Live, a project set up in 2022 by Ukraine’s military intelligence that helps Russian soldiers surrender safely. Kyiv Post reported this week.
He also said commanders were known to leave their units without food, water or communications.
In a message to his wife, Viktor wrote: ‘Today someone tried to leave, but he was shot dead.
‘A sniper watches from the corner. There is no passage.
“Commanders are out on bail, so survive however you can… Nothing good here, I wish they killed me sooner, it’s all ruined.”
He added that some soldiers have considered blowing themselves up with grenades so they can be taken off the battlefield to recover in hospital, but – after anticipating this – Russian military commanders are no longer evacuating the wounded.
In a previously intercepted call, a Russian commander reportedly threatened soldiers and his comrades with death if they refused to participate in an attack on the Kharkiv region.
Reports that Russian snipers are turning against their own forces have been circulating since the early months of the invasion, which began in February 2022.
Nine months into the conflict, British government defense chiefs revealed that Putin would deploy special forces to shoot down his own army if they withdrew from the war in Ukraine.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russia would deploy so-called “blocking units” that “threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers to force offensives.”
Stalin similarly used ‘barrier troops’ in World War II as part of his ‘No One Turn Back’ order.
Last June, shocking images emerged of Russian “barrier troops” appearing to shoot their fellow soldiers as they tried to flee the battlefield.
The footage, captured by a Ukrainian drone and posted on the online messaging platform Telegram, shows three Russian soldiers pointing their weapons in the direction of at least seven comrades and apparently firing bullets.
The latest revelations about the state of morale among Russian soldiers come as military experts estimate that around 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured during the invasion of Ukraine.
Military experts estimate that Putin’s war has left about 600,000 Russian soldiers killed or injured.
A shocking video released in June 2023 showed Russian barrier forces appearing to shoot their fellow soldiers as they tried to flee the battlefield
Ukrainian emergency services workers clear the rubble after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs on Sunday, September 29, in Zaporizhia, Ukraine.
In addition, more than 35,000 civilians have been killed or injured, six million have been forced to flee and almost 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported.
This year, Russian troops have moved forward on the battlefield, but the progress has been costly.
The British Ministry of Defense estimates that more than 1,000 Russian troops are killed or injured every day.
Concluding his visit to the United States, Zelensky released a statement on Saturday thanking US President Joe Biden for the latest $8 billion military aid package and the US Congress for its “unwavering” support.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned European countries against seeking a confrontation with Moscow in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.
Western countries “hope to defeat Russia with the help of the illegitimate neo-Nazi regime in Kiev, but they are already preparing Europe to also engage in this suicidal escapade,” he said.
“I’m not going to talk about the futility and danger of the very idea of fighting for victory with a nuclear power.”