For Russians Escaping Destroyed Vehicles, Ukraine's FPV "Cleanup Crew" Waits

Increasingly for Russian soldiers, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide as units dedicated to eliminating those who escape damaged vehicles are hunted down. JL

Decimus reports in Daily Kos:

We daily watch videos of Ukrainian FPVs blowing up Russian war machinery such as Armored Personnel Carriers, Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Tanks, Bukhankas and quite recently even Chinese-made golf carts, motor bikes and Quad bikes used by Russian ground assault teams.  Invariably some of the Russians who survive the initial impact of the drone-delivered munitions make their exit. I have often wondered what happened to the other Russian assault team members who seemingly “escaped”?  Well, it would appear that the Ukrainians have a group of FPV operators dedicated to “hunting down” and “cleaning up” the battle space of such “escapees”.

This war between Russia and Ukraine has changed modern warfare in more ways than anyone could have possibly imagined… primarily the role of drones, especially FPVs(First Person View).  Hard to imagine that since February 24, 2022 when a few images by free lance drone operators showing events on the ground appeared, we would be daily witnessing the rapid evolution of drones into one of the primary weapons in the war… a scant 2 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 6 days.

We daily watch videos of Ukrainian FPVs blowing up Russian war machinery such as Armored Personnel Carriers, Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Tanks, Bukhankas and quite recently even Chinese-made golf carts, motor bikes and Quad bikes used by Russian ground assault teams.  Invariably some of the Russians who survive the initial impact of the drone-delivered munitions make their exit and head into the immediate surroundings looking for cover.  Occasionally the video will continue to pan the scene showing us the gory aftermath. Thankfully most posters give fair warning before posting such videos.

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But like you, I have often wondered what happened to the other Russian assault team members who seemingly “escaped”?  Well, it would appear that the Ukrainians have a group of FPV operators dedicated to “hunting down” and “cleaning up” the battle space of such “escapees”.

The attached video(with English subtitles) is longish but it tells the story of one such member of the Ukrainian clean up crew and his day at the office. Truly worth watching.  Thankfully in this video the Ukrainians pixelate the gory scenes of death.  I, for one, came away with the feeling of how much war cheapens human life … for both the Russians and Ukrainians involved… a veritable game of “hide ‘n’ seek” with death from above.  And what will happen to the mental health of the FPV operators when this war finally does end?  While for now it would appear to be just like playing a game, I can imagine that down the line such work will take its toll.

 

As General Robert E. Lee once said after witnessing the carnage of a battle during the American Civil War … “It is well that war is so terrible or we should grow too fond of it”.  Indeed.