A DJI Mavic 3 is hit by shrapnel after an IED goes off and saves the life of a Russian soldier, according to a report shared on social media.
Marzoev Oleg Stanislavovich, a reserve officer of the Russian army explained on Telegram that Russian troops were ambushed and that a radio-controlled land mine detonated.
Photos of the DJI Mavic 3 that saved the life of a Russian soldier
The photos show a severely damaged military truck as well as a back containing a heavily damage DJI Mavic 3 drone.
“The quadcopter, which was in a backpack on the back of the scout, saved his life by taking on the fragments,” Stanislavovich says. “The serviceman has a slight concussion, but he did not leave the battle, he continues to perform tasks.”
The DJI Mavic 3 had reportedly served the Russian army for months and was originally bought with funds from the sale of a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The DJI quadcopter had been used on the front line to monitor Ukrainian troop movements and to help provide coordinates for the Russian artillery.
“Now it saved the life of an officer, literally covering him with himself,” Stanislavovich said.
The Russian officer says that they will try to repair the badly damaged DJI Mavic 3 with parts that have been recovered from a Ukrainian DJI Mavic 3 that they were able force-land with counter drone technology.
“Our friends-designers will try to return it to the sky, who help us in every possible way to beat the enemy, providing invaluable intellectual and technical assistance, for which they are boundless gratitude,” Stanislavovich shares. “Together with our damaged drone, an enemy Mavic 3, previously shot down by our fighters, or rather forcibly planted by means of anti-drone warfare, was sent to their workshop, which, after landing, blocked and did not want to work (on video). But at the expense of this enemy donor, we will reanimate and bring our combat quadrocopter back to life.”
The photo and story were shared on Telegram a few days ago. No information was provided on where exactly this took place.
As we have seen in the many reports of drone use by both the Ukrainian and Russian forces, unmanned aircraft have indeed been invaluable during the war.
