FLIR drone video released by Ukrainian troops with the 59th Motorized Brigade captures the moment a group of Russian troops conducting aid and litter operations abandon their wounded due to the sound of a low-flying drone.

It would be very easy to look at this video and judge the Russian troops for abandoning their wounded in this situation. Think about it from an honest perspective for a moment though. They obviously cannot outrun the drone. Most Ukrainian drone operators are dropping in excess of 50 hand grenades per day, so the Russian troops are very used to the sound of a drone being an equivalency to incoming artillery fire. As a result, it makes sense to drop the wounded and get to a position of cover and just hope that your wounded don't killed by a drone dropped munition.

That may seem like weak esprit de corps on the part of the Russians, but it's honestly a realistic immediate action drill. Wasting a grenade on an already wounded Russian Soldier lying on a stretcher gets the Ukrainians absolutely nowhere. They can't use the video because it would seem cruel to the rest of the world to drop grenades on wounded Russians, and the real target is the still able aid and litter team itself anyways. Splitting up and fleeing forces the drone operator to follow a single unlucky Russian instead of hitting an entire cluster of five men.

So, that leaves the Russians with one solid option. Ditch the wounded and scatter to cover. The Ukrainians are unlikely to drop munitions on a wounded Russian strapped into a stretcher, and will more than likely just pursue the fleeing aid and litter team members. At some point, the drone's batteries will die or it will release its payload allowing for the Russian troops to maneuver back to and continue their aid and litter operation.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com