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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Luke Harding in Kyiv

‘Our task is to laugh at these enemies’: the Ukrainian unit posting drone videos of Russian soldiers’ last moments

Hands at a computer keyboard in front of a screen showing a soldier in a field
A Ukrainian military editor known by his call sign Catman edits footage taken by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

To many observers they will appear dehumanising and offensive. To many Ukrainians, however, they are a brutal reminder of the fate that awaits Russian soldiers who take part in Vladimir Putin’s invasion, as well as a potent propaganda weapon.

Over the past year and a half, videos of kamikaze drones chasing Russian service personnel to their deaths have become a distinctive genre on social media. They are the brainchild of Robert Brovdi, the head of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces and founder of “Magyar’s Birds”, named after his call sign.

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