Ukrainian drone unit shares videos of Russian soldiers' final moments as propaganda tool
A Ukrainian unmanned systems unit called Magyar's Birds regularly posts drone footage showing Russian soldiers being killed, saying the aim is to demoralise Russia's military and expose the war's true cost.
For a year and a half, a Ukrainian military unit known as Magyar's Birds has been posting drone videos on social media that show Russian soldiers being chased and killed by kamikaze drones. The unit was founded by Robert Brovdi, head of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, who goes by the call sign Magyar.
The clips, nicknamed "yoblyks" — a coined term blending a Ukrainian profanity with an affectionate diminutive — are compiled each morning by a military editor known as Catman, who reviews the previous day's battlefield footage and assembles a two-minute video set to music, along with a longer weekly reel.
Catman said the purpose of the videos is to convince ordinary Russians that mobilisation means near-certain death, and to reveal the true human cost of the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin. The moment of death itself is not shown, though the final frame typically shows a close-up of the soldier's face. Catman acknowledged the footage is deliberately edited to mock victims, some of whom are shown throwing sticks at drones or stumbling as they flee, saying laughter helps boost morale among Ukrainian forces.
Most of the soldiers killed, according to Catman, are ordinary personnel carrying supplies or laying communication cables, often unaware of the drone threat — many die within two weeks of being mobilised. Since February, when Elon Musk shut down Starlink access in Russia, officers have reportedly struggled to stay in contact with frontline units, leaving soldiers with less accurate information about danger.
The unit's archive contains about 3,600 videos, only two of which feature women. The footage also serves to verify Russian casualties, which Kyiv says exceed 30,000 killed or wounded per month.
Brovdi defended publishing the material despite acknowledging some in the West may find it distasteful, citing the physical suffering Ukrainians have endured during the war. The videos have also spawned a trolling trend in which Ukrainians identify Russian soldiers from farewell photos posted by their wives, then respond with drone footage of their deaths.
Anatolii Loza, a Ukrainian volunteer formerly held prisoner by Russia, said he saw nothing wrong with the videos, noting international law does not protect combatants killed in battle. His wife, Olena, said Ukrainian attitudes hardened after Russian forces killed civilians in Bucha and Mariupol in spring 2022.
