Russia has been accused of gross human rights violations since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From targeted missile strikes on civilian settlements and power stations to the execution of Prisoners of War (POWs), the Russian Army has come under heavy criticism for its actions across the frontlines.
WATCH | Viral war video shows Ukrainian interceptor drone killing Russian reconnaissance UAV mid-air
Meanwhile, a video that goes against this general notion has gone viral on the internet, in which a Russian First-Person View (FPV) drone aborts a kamikaze attack at the last second upon realising the target it was about to engage was carrying civilians.
Drone warfare has been an integral part of the ongoing war in Europe, as both sides have effectively used Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to take out enemy assets. With electronic jamming and signal interception, fibre-optic drones started becoming the new normal. Videos of such drone strikes destroying tanks, armoured vehicles, bunkers, and soldiers on the ground are regularly released by propaganda units on either side. The recording stops the moment the drone crashes into the target in such videos, while another drone captures the explosion from afar.
In the latest video, the Russian drone is fast approaching a yellow car, similar to a taxi cab, in a swamp-like openness. The driver sees the approaching threat and takes a sharp turn. This gave the drone operator further clarity that the passengers on board were civilians and not Ukrainian military. It stops and backs off as people quickly come out of the vehicle and wave to further confirm that they are no threat.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Interesting footage from the front.
— Heyman_101 (@SU_57R) December 17, 2025
A Russian FPV drone operator pulls back before striking a Ukranian civilian car. The civilians get out and point the Russian drone towards the Ukranian position down the road.
The drone ends up hitting an excavator, which was digging a… pic.twitter.com/nWbOQ07ZVx
However, one of the car's occupants then makes a hand gesture at the drone, indicating where to look for the enemy. This helps the operator to take flight again and end up eliminating an enemy excavator that was busy digging a defensive line. Ukrainian personnel on the spot try shooting it down but fail as the fast-approaching UAV crashes into the machine, the viral video showed. THE WEEK could not independently verify the authenticity of the video as all details on the screen were blurred.
It was not mentioned when and where the video was from.
Meanwhile, Türkiye has warned Russia and Ukraine to exercise greater caution regarding Black Sea security after its air force shot down a drone that entered Turkish airspace, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday. F-16 fighter jets were dispatched on Monday after an out-of-control drone approached Turkish airspace from the Black Sea. The drone was shot down in a safe area to protect civilians and air traffic, officials said.
The incident followed recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian shadow fleet tankers off the Turkish coast, as well as warnings from Turkish officials about the risk of the war in Ukraine spilling over into the region.
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was preparing for contacts with the United States to get details about US talks with European powers and Ukraine on a possible peace settlement to end the Ukraine conflict.
