A Ukrainian drone unit has been posting videos of Russian soldiers' last moments, aiming to demoralize the enemy and boost morale at home. The unit, known as Magyar's Birds, is led by Robert Brovdi, head of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, and has pioneered the use of battlefield video, much of it recorded by first-person-view drones. The death videos are called 'yoblyks', a Ukrainian portmanteau combining a vulgar root with an affectionate diminutive.
Inside the editing process
Each morning, a military editor with the call sign Catman reviews battlefield clips from the previous day, selecting footage for a two-minute compilation with pulsing or mystical music. A longer reel is titled 'Yoblyks of the Week'. Catman defends the work as crucial for demoralizing Russians and revealing the war's true cost.
'My goal is to show Russians that if they mobilise in Ukraine they will be killed, that it's a one-way ticket and death is waiting for them,' Catman said. He acknowledged the clips are deliberately arranged to mock victims, who are sometimes seen throwing sticks at drones or falling over as they run. The moment of death is not shown, but the last frame is a closeup of a soldier's face.
Morale and mockery
Catman explained the unit's approach: 'We have a phrase: laughter kills fear. Our main task is to laugh at these enemies and to depict them as helpless. This boosts the morale of our forces. It's impossible for me to feel sorry for them. It's war, after all, not a movie.'
Typically, Russian soldiers are killed while walking or traveling by motorbike to the frontline. Catman said many are unaware of drone risks, having been misled by commanders. 'Their training is short. A lot die just two weeks after enlisting,' he said. He described most soldiers as 'banal donkey men' ordered to carry supplies or fuel to exposed positions, or drag communication cables. Since Elon Musk shut down Starlink in Russia in February, rear officers have struggled to contact frontline units.
Verification and impact
Another member of Magyar's Birds said there is evidence Russians are routinely misled about dangers. 'You can see from the videos a lot of them are not even hiding. They use their radio sets. A large number are fooled by the lie that everything will be OK, that they are going to their positions and are totally safe.'
The brigade's archive contains about 3,600 videos, with only two featuring women, both in combat uniform with assault rifles. 'There is no difference for me. They are all enemies,' Catman said. The videos help verify Russian losses, which Kyiv estimates at more than 30,000 soldiers killed or injured monthly.
No qualms from commander
Brovdi said he has no moral qualms about publishing material many in the west might find distasteful. 'God forbid they should ever experience pain. Because those of us in Ukraine who have experienced real physical pain from war would never agree with that perspective,' he said. In daily posts, he uses language some might find gratuitous, describing Russians as 'worms' pecked by 'birds'.
'When the war started, everything changed. There was a desire to humiliate the enemy as much as possible, not with typical words but exotic ones. It was only natural that military technical folklore and coinages such as 'yoblyk' found their way into my speech. They existed before AI,' Brovdi said.
The videos have sparked trolling subgenres. Some Russian women post farewell photos of husbands leaving for what Putin calls a 'special military operation'. Ukrainians identify the men and reply with drone footage showing their deaths. Catman said yoblyks have a wide audience, including inside Russia. 'There is very little information there about soldiers who go missing. Some people search and take screenshots. Mothers or wives then post messages saying something bad has happened to their loved ones.'
Anatolii Loza, a Ukrainian volunteer who was captured and imprisoned by Russia and recently swapped, said he sees nothing wrong with yoblyks. 'International law doesn't apply to killing combatants on the field of battle. The Russians come to shoot our soldiers and civilians. They are wearing uniform. They deserve their fate.' Loza's wife, Olena, said attitudes inside Ukraine hardened after spring 2022, when Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians in Bucha and Mariupol. 'I don't find these videos informative. I'm already furious with Russia.'
At Magyar's Birds HQ, Catman said black humour is essential during wartime. 'It's important for our own people to say we are not just surviving. We need to show we are flourishing and hitting back hard against the enemy.'
