Oct. 23, 2026, 1:18 PM EDT

The drone unit he leads has been helping push back Russian troops on the front lines in southeastern Ukraine. Then, late last Tuesday, a drone launched toward Russian troops suddenly lost connection.

“As it was picking up speed, contact with the drone was lost in an instant,” according to the commander, 47, who is serving on the border between the eastern Donetsk and southern Zaporizhzhia regions, and only wanted to be identified by his call sign Flint due to the sensitivity of his service.

The drone fell to the ground, aborting the mission, Flint said in a series of messages on WhatsApp.…