(DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE) – A video has emerged showing a Russian Molniya attack drone turning on its own operators moments after launch, diving back into the crew that deployed it. The footage, which circulated on social media, shows the drone being launched from a treeline before immediately flipping around and dive-bombing its handlers.
The cause of the malfunction remains unclear. The drone appears to function normally at launch, but then performs a sharp U-turn. One possibility is that it was launched directly into the wind, and a heavy gust caught its wings, looping it back toward the crew. Regardless of the reason, the incident has been widely shared online.
The Molniya is a cheap decoy drone designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. It is constructed from simple materials, such as wood, an engine, and a propeller, and is fitted with a warhead. If Ukraine does not intercept it, the drone can strike civilian targets such as apartment buildings. The logic behind its design is economic: the cost of the missiles or interceptor drones used to shoot it down is greater than the cost of the Molniya itself. If Ukraine expends resources on these decoys, then more sophisticated weapons, such as Shahed drones launched at the same time, may successfully hit their targets.
This particular drone, however, appears to have been launched from near the front line, suggesting it was being used as a cheap attack drone rather than in its intended decoy role. The launch site inside a tree line indicates a more frontline unit was operating it.
Ukraine operates a similar version of this drone, known as the “Ring” version, for comparable purposes. It shares a similar design: a cheap, cobbled-together drone typically used as a decoy with a payload. No geolocation data is available for this specific incident, but the footage remains notable.
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