Russian soldier surrenders with message seen by Ukrainian drone, units say

A Russian soldier surrendered to Ukraine via a message that he wrote on cardboard that was spotted by a droneUkrainian military units said.

The 16th Army Corps said on Wednesday that drone pilots discovered a Russian soldier in Lyman, a town in the eastern region of Kharkiv, who wrote the surrender messages.

One read “Please take me prisoner, I want to live,” per the translation by Ukrainian state outlet United24.

The corps said the Russian was given instructions on how to surrender and was detained.

Drone footage shared by the corps shows a small building with cardboard signs in the window and on the ground. A figure then puts another sign in the window.

It then shows a Ukrainian soldier writing on some cardboard, apparently writing instructions for the soldier to be delivered by drone. Two Ukrainians then appear to approach and walk with the Russian. Business Insider could not independently verify the event.

The 16th Army Corps said the operation was aided by the Shkval special forces unit of Ukraine’s 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, which also reported the event.

It’s not the first time that drones have played a role in the surrender of Russian soldiers. Ukrainian units have reported cases that include persuading Russian troops to surrender by playing them a voice message with a drone, and a Russian soldier who surrendered by following instructions dropped from a drone.

Ukraine’s army issued an instructional video in 2022 with step-by-step instructions for Russian soldiers on how they can surrender to one of its drones.

Drones are being used more in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than in any previous conflict. Both sides use vast numbers to gather intelligence on troops and targets, as well as to launch attacks. Their ubiquity has changed the course of the war, and with the West paying close attention, is likely to change the face of future warfare.

They can fly far and go to places that would be too risky for Ukraine’s own soldiers to go, making them particularly useful in trying to get Russians to surrender.

Ukraine actively encourages opposition soldiers to voluntarily surrender, including with its “I Want to Live” hotline, which it says thousands of Russian troops have used.

A spokesperson for the project in 2023 said some Russian soldiers who call offer to hand over equipment and heavy armored vehicles.