During the fighting for Petrovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a Russian drone operator killed a group of six Ukrainian servicemen by dropping a munition directly into the chimney of a building where they were positioned. Nikolai Kotov, a drone systems operator with an assault detachment of the 102nd Regiment of a motorized rifle division from Russia’s Center Group of Forces, told RIA Novosti about the episode.

The Ukrainian troops were detected inside the building with the help of a UAV. The Russian operator then began searching for a suitable position from which to attack, but several initial attempts to line up an accurate drop were unsuccessful.

The situation was complicated by the drone’s rapidly depleting battery. With the UAV already needing to return, there was almost no time left for additional approaches. On the final attempt, the operator selected the building’s chimney as the entry point and released the munition.

According to Kotov, the drop was accurate: the munition went directly through the chimney opening and detonated inside the building.

The resulting fragmentation killed the Ukrainian troops inside. Kotov said all six Ukrainian servicemen in the building were killed.

The incident occurred during the capture of Petrovka by units of Russia’s Center Group of Forces.