KYIV, Ukraine – Tens of thousands of drones have been used across Ukraine to destroy enemies, spy on their formations and guide bombs to their targets. But this month, the Ukrainian military began a program that uses drones in a more unusual role: to guide Russian soldiers who want to surrender.
The show began in late November, when the Ukrainian military released footage of a Russian soldier throwing a weapon on the ground, raising his hand and nervously following the path outlined by a drone overhead. he went to soldiers from the 54th corps of the Ukrainian army. Mechanized brigade.
A few weeks later, the General Staff of Ukraine released a video tutorial explaining how Russian soldiers could surrender to a Ukrainian drone, and it is now part of an extensive Ukrainian effort to convince the Russian troops to surrender. Russian soldiers surrender. The program, called “I want to live,” including a telephone hotline, a website and a Telegram channel, all dedicated to communicating with Russian soldiers and their families.
It is too early to tell if the drone effort will attract Russian defectors in meaningful numbers. But it does add another avenue for Ukraine to recruit Russian defectors, one that has a distinctly modern take on the age-old tactic of information warfare. And if nothing else, it could further erode Russia’s morale on the battlefield.
