"Please send bread": Ukrainian drone operator answers elderly woman's message written in snow

A UAV operator dropped food to a woman in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, from a drone after she wrote a message in the snow asking for bread.

Source: 3rd Border Guard Detachment named after Hero of Ukraine Colonel Yevhenii Pikus

Details: While surveying the area with a drone, Maksym, 19, a pilot in the Phoenix unit who goes by the alias Maliuk ("Baby"), spotted a message written in the snow near one of the houses: "Please send bread."

"It had been written by an elderly woman. She was not writing to the Russians, but to us. She was asking us for help," the serviceman said.

He photographed the message and asked his commanders for permission to help the woman. After receiving approval, Maksym dropped bread and biscuits to her from the drone.

Later, a new message appeared in the snow near the house: "Thank you."

It is not possible to evacuate the woman, as Kostiantynivka is currently a buffer zone.

Maksym joined the Phoenix unit in April 2025 after completing basic combined-arms training. He operates Mavic and Matrix UAVs, which he uses to conduct reconnaissance and detect Russian forces.

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