Russian Soldier Surrenders to FPV Drone Operated by Ukraine’s 31st Brigade

Remote pilots from the Marlet unit of Ukraine’s 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade used an FPV drone to capture a Russian infantryman.

The incident, which took place in the village of Novosilka in the Donetsk region, was documented in a video released on the unit’s YouTube channel.

According to the footage, the drone crew was ordered to target two Russian soldiers: one hiding in a building and the other in a basement.

An adjacent Ukrainian unit struck the building, killing the first target.

The second soldier was injured during the first drone strike. However, on a second flight, operators confirmed he had survived and decided to surrender.

Ukrainian drone operators observed hand signals indicating the Russian soldier’s willingness to give up, and remotely guided him toward Ukrainian positions.

13th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, known as Khartiia, recently recorded a similar incident, also using an FPV drone to capture a Russian soldier.

In that case, the soldier noticed the drone, disarmed himself, and made gestures signaling his intention to surrender.

The Khartiia unit then directed him out of a wooded area using the drone. Surveillance continued until a Mavic drone arrived to take over and complete the escort.

The surrender of Russian troops to Ukrainian drones is not unprecedented, though it typically involves Mavic-type drones or other models equipped with payload-release mechanisms, rather than FPV variants.

One such case took place in August 2024, when fighters from the Khartiia helped a wounded Russian soldier surrender using a drone.

In the Kharkiv sector, operators located the injured man, who had been abandoned by his unit, and guided him to Ukrainian positions.