Ukrainian Troops Open Fire on Own Drone Operators Near Kupyansk
Ukrainian troops reportedly hit their own drone team near Kupyansk during a failed counterattack, before Russian FPV drones forced them back.
During an attempted counterattack near Kupyansk on the Kharkov front, Ukrainian troops opened fire on their own servicemen.
According to the Telegram channel SHOT, poor coordination between separate Ukrainian units led assault troops to shoot at their own drone operators.
The report said that a group of mercenaries was moving toward Kupyansk at night when it ran into another armed group near Radkovka. A firefight broke out, leaving dead and wounded on both sides. It later emerged that the second group consisted of mobilized Ukrainian soldiers who were deploying a mobile drone operator team.
The reason for the lack of coordination between the units remains unclear. SHOT reported that Russian FPV drone operators were watching the clash. After the firefight, Russian forces struck the Ukrainian groups with UAVs, forcing them to retreat.
In late March, Ukrainian troops also tried to break into Kupyansk while dressed in civilian clothes. They inspected damaged armored vehicles in the city, intending to take surviving mines and zinc ammunition boxes.
One Ukrainian soldier spotted a Russian drone and opened fire on it, exposing the group’s position. The saboteurs were then destroyed by Russian fiber-optic FPV drone strikes.