Russian military began shooting down its own drones and demanding compensation for them

Added: 2026-04-30

[00:00:03]Russian military personnel are increasingly shooting down their own drones due to coordination failures and administrative confusion. Soldiers then attempt to pass these aircraft off as Ukrainian equipment to claim financial rewards. Data from the drone operators chronicle suggests the issue stems from a lack of communication between neighboring units and mobile fire groups, according to the Moscow Times.

[00:00:28]These fire groups are often not informed of friendly flight paths and struggle to distinguish between Russian and Ukrainian drones, leading them to fire on any aerial object. Russian media sources describe the situation as a time bomb, expressing concern that nearly all domestic drones may soon come under fire from their own side. The propaganda channel Boyvoy Reserve predicts that units will shoot down everything they see. The channel reports that some mobile fire groups are already presenting down Russian drones as trophies to receive awards. Evidence includes a photograph of a Russian serviceman with a damaged Russian Molniya drone. To deceive command, some officers reportedly apply Ukrainian symbols or other markings to the wreckage to align with state narratives regarding Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While internal coordination remains a challenge, Ukrainian Hornet drones present a significant external threat to Russian units. These high-speed aircraft utilize artificial intelligence for target acquisition and can operate at distances of up to 60 km during both day and night. As the demand for specialized personnel to counter such threats grows, the Kremlin has turned to academic institutions to bolster its ranks. Ufa State Petroleum Technological University encouraged its students to recruit friends and family members for military service. As of April 27th, 2026, a message shared in a student chat invited students to bring in acquaintances to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

[00:02:06]The university offered to enroll these recruits in additional education programs or provide them with staff positions to facilitate the process.

[00:02:14]Those who signed contracts were promised a payment of 500,000 rubles or 6,678 dollars, while the students themselves were told they could transfer to state-funded spots upon their return from service. In this case, Ukrainian drones have significantly changed the situation on the battlefield, giving the Ukrainian Armed Forces an advantage over Russian forces. This is influencing the course of hostilities and the effectiveness of operations. Ukraine's advantage is acknowledged not only by Russian propagandists, but also by representatives of the Russian government. As analysts note, Ukraine has significantly intensified its medium-range strike campaign against Russian logistics, military equipment, and manpower since late 2025 and especially in early 2026, which has hindered Russia's advance across the entire theater of operations and is likely also hindering the Russian offensive in the spring and summer of 2026.

[00:03:14]ISW has obtained geolocation evidence that Ukrainian forces carried out 41 medium-range strikes in January 2026, 61 in February 2026, and 115 in March 2026.

[00:03:29]These Ukrainian strikes were largely directed against Russian forces and assets in eastern and southern Ukraine, particularly near occupied Donetsk, which has hampered Russia's preparations for offensive operations in recent weeks and months.

[00:03:48]>> [music] [music]