To many people watching, these videos may seem dehumanizing and offensive. But for many Ukrainians, they serve as a harsh reminder of what awaits Russian soldiers who join Vladimir Putin’s invasion, and they are also a powerful propaganda tool.
Over the past year and a half, videos showing kamikaze drones chasing down Russian troops and killing them have become a unique genre on social media. They are the creation of Robert Brovdi, the head of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces and founder of “Magyar’s Birds,” named after his call sign.
Brovdi’s 414th aviation strike brigade has led the way in using battlefield video, much of it captured by first-person-view drones. These death videos are called “yoblyks,” a word that mixes the root of the Ukrainian term for “fuck” with a friendly, diminutive ending. The closest English equivalent is probably “fuckling.”
An excerpt of footage from a drone following a Russian soldier into woodland
Early each morning, a military editor known by his call sign Catman goes through battlefield clips recorded the day before. He picks some for a two-minute compilation and adds pulsing or mystical music. A longer online reel is called “Yoblyks of the Week.”
Defending his work, Catman said the videos played a key role in lowering the morale of ordinary Russians and showing the real cost of the Kremlin’s unprovoked war. “My goal is to show Russians that if they mobilize in Ukraine they will be killed, that it’s a one-way ticket and death is waiting for them,” he said.
He admitted that the clips were deliberately put together to make fun of the victims, who are sometimes seen throwing sticks at the drones to try to knock them off course, or falling over as they run. While the moment of death is not shown, the last frame is a close-up of a soldier’s face.
“We have a phrase: laughter kills fear. Our main task is to laugh at these enemies and to show them as helpless. This boosts the morale of our forces,” he said. “It’s impossible for me to feel sorry for them. It’s war, after all, not a movie.”
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Catman sitting in front of his computer: ‘My goal is to show Russians that if they mobilize in Ukraine they will be killed.’ Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian
Usually, the Russian soldiers are killed while walking or riding motorbikes to the frontline. Some are unaware they are at risk from drones, Catman said, and seem to have been misled by their commanders. “Their training is short. A lot die just two weeks after enlisting,” he said.
He described most of the soldiers as “banal donkey men” ordered to carry supplies or fuel to exposed Russian positions. Others drag communication cables. Since February, when Elon Musk shut down his satellite internet service Starlink in Russia, officers in the rear have struggled to reach frontline units.
Another member of Magyar’s Birds said there was strong evidence that the Russians were often lied to about the dangers. “You can see from the videos a lot of them are not even hiding,” he said. “They use their radio sets. A large number are fooled by the lie that everything will be OK, that they are going to their positions and are totally safe.”
The brigade has an archive of about 3,600 videos. Only two feature women, both wearing combat uniform and carrying assault rifles. “There is no difference for me. They are all enemies,” Catman said.
The videos play an important part in confirming Russian losses, which are running at more than 30,000 soldiers a month killed or injured, according to Kyiv.
An excerpt of footage from a drone following a Russian soldier into a house
Brovdi said he had no regrets about publishing material that many in the west might find distasteful and morally questionable. “God forbid they should ever experience pain. Because those of us in Ukraine who have experienced real physical pain from war would never agree with that perspective,” he said.He said. In his daily posts, Brovdi uses language that some might find excessive, like calling Russians “worms” that “birds” peck at. He explained: “When the war started, everything changed. There was a need to insult the enemy as much as possible, not with ordinary words but with unusual ones. It was natural that military slang and new terms like ‘yoblyk’ became part of my speech. They existed before AI.”
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Robert ‘Magyar’ Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian
The videos have sparked several types of online trolling. Some Russian women post photos saying goodbye to their husbands as they leave for what Putin calls a “special military operation.” Ukrainians identify the men and then reply with drone footage showing their deaths.
According to Catman, the yoblyks have a wide audience, including inside Russia. “There is very little information there about soldiers who go missing. Some people search and take screenshots. Mothers or wives then post messages saying something bad has happened to their loved ones,” he said.
Putin’s recruiters scramble to avoid second mass mobilisation as Ukraine losses mount Read more
Pro-war Russian bloggers post images on Telegram channels of Ukrainian soldiers dying in battle. Other videos show the killing of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war – a crime. The Russian internet includes AI-generated fakes that pretend to show Ukrainian military personnel criticizing their army leadership.
Anatolii Loza, a Ukrainian volunteer who was captured and imprisoned by Russia and recently released in a swap, said he saw nothing wrong with yoblyks. “International law doesn’t apply to killing combatants on the battlefield,” he said. “The Russians come to shoot our soldiers and civilians. They are wearing uniforms. They deserve what happens to them.”
Loza’s wife, Olena, said attitudes inside Ukraine hardened after spring 2022, when Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians in the cities of Bucha and Mariupol, leaving their bodies in the streets. About yoblyks, she said: “I don’t find these videos informative. I’m already furious with Russia.”
At the headquarters of Magyar’s Birds, Catman said black humour was essential during wartime. “It’s important for our own people to say we are not just surviving. We need to show we are thriving and hitting back hard against the enemy.”
Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest, by Luke Harding, is published on 27 August by Guardian Faber. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic ranging from basic context to more advanced ethical and operational questions
General Definition Questions
Q What is this Ukrainian unit that shares drone footage of Russian soldiers
A Its a specific drone unit within the Ukrainian Armed Forces that publishes uncensored aerial footage of strikes on Russian positions Their motto Our job is to laugh at these enemies reflects a psychological warfare tactic aimed at demoralizing the opponent and boosting domestic morale
Q Why do they laugh at the enemies
A Its a deliberate psychological operation By mocking the invaders and showing their destruction in realtime they aim to break the morale of Russian troops undermine their confidence and project an image of Ukrainian strength and dark humor as a coping mechanism for the horrors of war
Q Where do they share this footage
A Primarily on Telegram channels and sometimes on X or YouTube Telegram is the main platform because it allows for instant unmoderated sharing of graphic content to a large audience without the strict content policies of Western social media sites
Q Is this footage real
A Yes the footage is generally verified as real by opensource intelligence analysts It comes directly from the drones camera feed showing the moment of impact The unit does not typically stage or fake the actual explosions
Operational Technical Questions
Q How do they get this footage
A They use FirstPerson View drones and reconnaissance quadcopters The recon drones fly high to spot targets and the FPV droneswhich carry explosivesare flown directly into the target recording the entire flight until impact
Q Why share the final moments instead of keeping it secret
A There are three reasons 1 Intelligence sharingit shows other units where enemy positions are 2 Crowdsourcingit allows the public to see the reality of the war 3 Psychological warfareit sends a message to Russian soldiers that they are being watched and will be destroyed
Q Do they worry that showing this footage gives away their tactics
