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A lone Russian soldier begged a Ukrainian drone for ‘mercy’ instead of bombing him in extraordinary unverified footage from bloody Bakhmut.
Deep in No Man’s Land, the soldier looked up and made several ‘X’ hand gestures before waving a white piece of fabric at the drone hovering overhead.
Instead of an explosive, the ZSU, what Ukranians know the Armed Forces as, dropped a peace offering – a note explaining how he can surrender.
As Russian artillery rained around him in retaliation, the man was urged to climb out of the trench and onto open terrain to be escorted by the Ukranian drone.
The footage, filmed by the Code 9.2 unit of the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian forces and posted on Tuesday, shows the troop desperately trying to get the attention of the other side.
The division’s commander, Yuriy Fedorenko, said on Telegram ‘Bakhmut: Mercy of the ZSU on May 9.’
The soldier looked up at the drone as he begged it ‘not to bomb’ him, the Ukrainian military said (Picture: 92OMBr/Newsflash)
‘A Russian military man was found by the head of the army chief Ivan Sirk, who asked him not to bomb him,’ he added.
‘Our team dropped him a note by copter with an order to surrender and follow the drone.’
On the package, the words ‘give up’ appeared to be written on it with a marker pen.
‘He agreed, despite the fact that “his” people shot him in the back,’ the commander said.
The soldier appeared to agree to the terms and gingerly followed the drone over the bodies of his fellow servicemen.
‘Infantry and scouts from “CODE 9.2” 92 OMBr accompanied him all the way to Ukrainian positions,’ Fedorenko said.
The Russian was led away from No Man’s Land by the drone (Picture: 92OMBr/Newsflash)
Explosions went off as he tried to escape (Picture: @92OMBr/Newsflash)
‘Being captured in Ukraine gives a better chance of survival than serving in the Russian army.’
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed on Wednesday that the Russian troop has been taken into custody.
‘The enemy noticed the drone and began to make gestures to show a desire to surrender,’ he said.
‘Infantrymen and scouts accompanied him all the way to Ukrainian positions.’
In a separate Telegram post today, Fedorenko shared footage of a battered and bloodied man identifying himself as ‘a serviceman of the Russian Army’ today.
He says that the Ukrainian army ‘saved my life’.
A man, claiming to be the soldier, later thanked the Ukrainian army for ‘saving his life’ (Picture: 92OMBr/Newsflash)
‘Dignity is not to resemble a cannibal and remain human even in the most terrible times,’ Fedorenko said in the post.
The monthlong battle for Bakhmut has become a grinding and bloody fight for a ruined city, with reports claiming thousands of Russian troops have fled.
Russian servicemen can surrender under the Ukrainian government’s ‘I Want to Live’ programme.
Troops can escape the Kremin’s grasp through the project’s hotline and Telegram chatbot – both have been blocked by Russian authorities, according to its website.
They are offered to either take part in a prisoner swap or remain in temporary detention to then either emigrate later or stay in Ukraine.
The project shared footage of Russian soldiers on the frontline being killed in the area before ending on the same clip from the man claiming to be the troop.
Victory in Bakhmut, of little strategic value, has taken a symbolic role in the year-long Russia-Ukraine war (Picture: Getty Images/AFP)
‘The story of the occupier who surrendered to the Ukrainian drone near Bakhmut received a truly “cinematic” continuation,’ I Want to Live said yesterday
‘It turned out that his partner, who participated in the same battle, blew himself up with a grenade “according to the training manual”, choosing an inglorious and senseless death.’
‘The moral of this fable is: Russian soldier, do not listen to the Kremlin butchers, do not believe their cannibal calls to die on Ukrainian soil!’ the project added.
‘They will continue to dispose of people like you by the thousands and thousands. Ukraine, your life is more expensive than Russian commanders, because you can be exchanged for captured Ukrainian heroes.
‘If you want to go home, surrender yourself to captivity.’
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‘If you want to go home, surrender yourself to captivity.’