Russian soldier ‘is deliberately blown up by one of Putin’s drones after he was spotted trying to surrender’

A Russian soldier was reportedly killed in a deliberate attack by one of Vladimir Putin’s drones, which was spotted trying to surrender.

In shocking footage shared on Telegram, the soldier can be seen walking down a deserted road in the crosshairs of what appears to be an aerial surveillance camera.

At one point he appears to raise his hands and turns to continue on his way. However, a few minutes later he was hit by an object, causing a massive explosion.

After the fire goes out, smoke can be seen coming from the target’s lifeless body.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces in the south said the soldier ‘realized the hopelessness’ of continuing to fight and as he laid down his weapon, a Russian drone dropped explosives on him, killing him instantly.

On Telegram, the Ukrainian command said: ‘The operator of the enemy drone, instead of allowing his soldier to survive, jumped on him and instantly ended the life of the soldier who tried to surrender.’

The post added: ‘This incident is further proof that the enemy does not value the lives of even his own soldiers and is ready for cruel actions to conceal manifestations of unwillingness to fight among his personnel.’

Stating that similar incidents have occurred before, Ukrainian media claimed that Russia used unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent its soldiers from deserting.

Ukraine’s military intelligence service estimates that more than 25,000 Russian soldiers have deserted since the end of 2024.

A video shared on Telegram before he was killed showed the soldier walking on an abandoned road and raising his hands in surrender.

Earlier this year, it was reported that a Russian commander had instructed his soldiers to kill his own men trying to escape the front line.

Ukraine’s military intelligence said it listened to a phone call in which the official gave the order.

He is said to have given the order: ‘There is no way, there is no way to retreat! No one retreats anywhere; everyone keeps their place. If anyone runs away, shoot him.’

‘I say it again, you bastards: if anyone runs away, shoot him.’ The call was made from Donetsk Oblast, the agency said.

US officials also warned that all units would be threatened with death if they tried to withdraw.

Ukrainian sources said the mistreatment of Russian soldiers was a major factor leading to mass surrender.

Last week, Ukrainian forces reportedly found four Russian soldiers handcuffed to a tree and left for dead near Lyman after they refused to obey orders. Similar images last year showed staff being tied up and whipped.

They were allegedly abandoned without food and water by their military commanders for refusing to advance into Ukraine after their troops were killed trying to capture the region.

Fighting at Kursk in June, a group of Putin’s men surrendered to Ukrainian paratroopers and told them that ‘mistreatment in the troops was worse than captivity’, according to the Ukrainian Air Assault Force.

The following statements were included in the post made on the social media account: ‘They were subjected to inhumane treatment, psychological pressure and threats in their troops on the territory of the Russian Federation.

According to an investigation by The Insider last year, Russia was using ‘punishment squads’ to separate soldiers who were found to be drinking alcohol or refusing orders.

They were then subjected to a range of abuse, including beatings and being thrown into ‘confinement pits’.

Last year, a video was released showing Russian soldiers being taped to a tree and beaten. A group of Putin’s men fighting at Kursk in June surrendered to Ukrainian paratroopers, telling them that “mistreatment in the troops is worse than captivity.”

Soldiers also said that ‘the barrier was used to prevent troops from leaving the front lines’.

In August last year, the Ukrainian army announced that it accepted the surrender of 102 Russian soldiers, and that this was the largest surrender made by a single group since the war started in 2022.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed disappointment with the war as Putin hit several cities overnight, killing six people, including two children.

This comes after US leader Donald Trump rejected Zelensky’s request for Tomahawk missiles at a White House summit last Friday.