Three Russian Soldiers Surrender to Ukrainian Drone in Kherson

(KHERSON OBLAST, UKRAINE) – Three Russian soldiers have surrendered to a Ukrainian drone equipped with a loudspeaker near the Antonovsky Bridge on the Dnipro River, signalling a possible Ukrainian presence on the eastern bank.

The surrender occurred near Dachi, just north of a bridge over the Konka River that Ukrainian forces destroyed following a six week operation using heavy lift drones to place more than one tonne of explosives under the structure. Video of the surrender was shared on social media on 14 April 2025, though the exact date of the incident remains unclear.

Geolocation places the event close to the Antonovsky Bridge crossing the Dnipro. With the Konka River bridge destroyed, the area has been entirely cut off from Russian resupply and reinforcement routes, leaving the three soldiers isolated and with limited options.

Military analysts note that Ukrainian forces would not have conducted a drone mediated surrender without a practical means to physically take the soldiers into custody. This suggests one of two scenarios: either Ukraine maintains an undisclosed permanent presence on the eastern bank of the Dnipro, or Kyiv has established sufficient fire control over the area to safely dispatch a boat and soldiers across the river specifically to detain the surrendering personnel.

Ukrainian forces had previously established a presence on the eastern bank after crossing the Dnipro several years ago, but no significant operations had been reported from the area for more than a year, leading some observers to conclude that those positions had been abandoned. The latest surrender indicates that assessment may be incorrect.

The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s forces have been unable to dislodge Ukrainian positions in this sector, according to the geolocated evidence. It remains unknown whether additional Russian soldiers remain in the pocket or if the three are the only personnel cut off by the bridge destruction.