A Ukrainian drone unit has released footage of what appears to be a rare instance of a first-person-view (FPV) drone capturing a Russian soldier and escorting him to Ukrainian lines without direct human involvement.
The incident, recorded on June 17 and publicized Thursday by Ukraine’s military, involved the 414th Separate Brigade of Unmanned Systems, also known as the Magyar Birds.
According to the unit, the soldier was taken prisoner during a combat sortie in the Donbas region by a drone operated by a pilot with the callsign “Pain.”
Footage published by the Ukrainian Ground Forces shows the man in military uniform raising his hands in surrender to a small quadcopter drone. The drone then led him through several rows of concertina wire before handing him off to Ukrainian troops.
A second drone, likely an observer model, captured the man stumbling through the forest, confirming his surrender and cooperation.
“The drone crew commander from the 414th Brigade Magyar’s Birds, who goes by the alias Pain, was heading towards his target when the Russian soldier raised his hands,” the Ukrainian Ground Forces said in a statement on Facebook. “Our pilot acted in line with humanitarian law, began escorting the prisoner with the drone, and delivered him to the neighbouring unit’s positions.”
The soldier’s identity has not been independently verified, and Ukrainian authorities have not provided further details about his capture. The drone used in the operation was identified as an “F10,” likely a reusable FPV drone model developed by Robert Magyar, founder of the Magyar Birds.
The Ukrainian military emphasized the significance of the event. “Every captured occupier is a chance to free our soldiers from Russian captivity,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote on its Telegram channel. “Our defenders continue to replenish the exchange fund.”
According to the General Staff, the drone crew led by Pain has previously disabled more than 500 Russian artillery systems. Pain has been officially recognized as a Hero of Ukraine for his contributions.
