7.03.2026
Russian soldiers are increasingly surrendering to Ukrainian drone operators. Such incidents were observed most frequently on the front lines in the winter of 2026.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced this while publishing a video. He said that drones are now escorting prisoners to Ukrainian troops.
“We’re recording on video how Russian soldiers surrender to Ukrainian drones. UAV operators are escorting them to our positions. This winter, over 100 occupiers laid down their arms thanks to the work of unmanned units,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, noting that the captives represent an opportunity to bring Ukrainian prisoners home.
It was previously reported that Ukraine and the Netherlands agreed on February 28 to “attract additional resources” to continue and scale up the “Drone Line” project, which supports units of the Dutch Defense Forces. The agreement was reached during a visit to Ukraine by Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Dylan Yesilgoz-Zegerius.
As a reminder, the Defense Forces launched the “Drone Line” project back in early February of last year. Moreover, then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called it revolutionary and expressed hope that the project would “dramatically strengthen our brigades and expand our experience in effectively destroying the enemy.”
Indeed, according to data for January and February of this year, the monthly losses of the invaders in the war in Ukraine exceeded the number of mobilized troops.
As OBOZ.UA reported, the first Ukrainian defense plant recently began operating in the UK as part of the “Drone Line” —a production complex belonging to Ukrspecsystems, whose drones Ukrainian soldiers had previously successfully tested on the battlefield.