Drone captures killing of Ukrainian civilian by Russian soldiers

Drone footage appears to show the moment Russian troops shoot and kill a civilian as he got out of his car and held up his hands on a Ukrainian highway.

The incident took place on the E40 expressway on Mar. 7, a few miles west of Kiev near Russians have taken control of the suburbs, reports German broadcaster ZDF. A Russian tank, identified by its white markings, has taken up a position with some soldiers on the highway near a gas station.

The video shows a few cars eastbound toward Kyiv making abrupt u-turns as they spot the tank. However, one silver car stops.

A man emerges with his hands up but is shot, falling on the ground beside the car. The Russian soldiers run from their positions to the scene, identifiable by the white bands they wear to avoid friendly fire.

The shooting of civilians is a war crime under the International Criminal Code. If the footage and incident can be verified, it serves as another piece of evidence for those accusing Russia of war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine.

ZDF tracked down the drone’s pilot. He calls himself “Zanoza,” a member of the mostly volunteer “Bugatti Company” in Kyiv.

Zanoza showed ZDF his drone, a DJI Mavic III, a mainstream professional camera drone available to consumers.

“I was observing Russian tank positions on the road for some time,” Zanoza said, outlining his objective. He said nothing had happened for a long time until the civilian vehicles approached and the man was killed.

“The driver got out of the car, raised his hands and was shot by Russian soldiers,” said Zanoza, who said the car was later towed away and burned.

The Kyiv company provides timestamps and additional photos to back up their claims. One shows the Russian troops leading away a woman and child, who were travelling with the man, from the car to the nearby woods. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.