Russia offers bounty for information on Ukrainian drone commander Robert Brovdi

Russian officials, using criminal contacts across the former Soviet space, have pledged a monetary reward for information that could reveal the whereabouts of Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine's unmanned aerial systems. Ukrainian drone commanders claim that Brovdi's successes have turned him into one of Russia's most wanted targets, prompting severe security protocols for his unit, including Faraday-bagged phones and tinted-window transport.

Brovdi states that his drone forces, though a small fraction of Ukraine's total army, are responsible for a significant share of Russian losses over the past year. He also notes that 79 members of his unit, known as the "Birds of Madyar," have been killed since the invasion began. Ukrainian forces report killing or wounding 656 Russian soldiers for each Ukrainian loss, and claim to have inflicted 10,660 Russian casualties in the last week while advancing in the Liman sector of Donetsk. President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted these achievements on social media, citing video evidence of Russian losses.