Ukrainian Drone Operators Capture Frontline Turmoil in Weekly Series

(DONBAS, UKRAINE) – Ukrainian drone operators from the 414th Separate Brigade, known as “Birds of Magyar”, have released combat footage and audio from a frontline engagement showing Russian troops under sustained pressure in eastern Ukraine.

The video, titled “Week’s Horde, Episode 40”, was published on 24 April 2026 and includes a soundtrack called “Self liquidation” by the band Plan. The material combines aerial strike footage with an audio track portraying the experience of Russian soldiers in combat.

In the recording, a voice describes counting days until demobilisation, marking time on the wall of a trench. He then states that the trench and even his legs are gone, indicating severe losses sustained during the fighting.

The audio continues with references to conditions in Donbas, where sunlight and birds contrast with the destruction on the ground. The speaker mentions writing letters home and being told to wait as a “hero”, before describing being wounded by ammunition fragments.

According to the recording, a unit commander had told troops they would soon move into Russia, but reportedly left the position the previous day. The voice states that Kyiv was not reached and concludes that there is only one way out of the situation.

The phrase “self liquidation” is repeated throughout the track, framed as a grim outcome faced by Russian troops. The audio also refers to bodies being transported in black bags and dismisses the prospect of demobilisation or leave.

Further lines describe soldiers attempting to injure themselves to escape combat, including shooting themselves in the leg, but being declared fit and sent back to the front. The speaker recounts pleas over radio communications for evacuation, stating that incoming fire was constant.

The recording ends with a description of a soldier preparing a grenade and expressing that ending one’s life is preferable to enduring the conditions.

The footage accompanies ongoing reporting by Ukrainian forces on battlefield losses. Additional results and updates are published via the Ukrainian SBS online tracking platform.

Video and audio released by the 414th Separate Brigade “Birds of Magyar”, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces.