Video shows a Russian soldier surrendering by following written instructions dropped from a drone

• A video appears to show a Russian soldier surrendering to a drone.
• "If you want to live, follow the bird across the field," reads the message, according to a translation from Russian.

A Ukrainian military video appears to show a Russian soldier surrendering by following instructions dropped from a drone.

The video, posted by Ukraine's specialist 'Eidelweiss' drone unit, appears to show a Russian soldier crouching by a wrecked armored vehicle near the dead or injured body of another soldier. He has his hands raised in surrender.

The drone then appears to drop a capsule, and the soldier begins to run away as though fearing it might be an explosive. Then, when it doesn't blow up, he picks up the capsule and finds a note inside.

"If you want to live, follow the bird across the field," says the note.

The drone then guides the soldier across a battlefield marked with shell craters into a trench, where Ukrainian troops apparently accept his surrender, according to the footage.

Business Insider has been unable to verify the authenticity of the video, and it's unclear where or when it was filmed.

A caption posted with the video reads: "They are afraid. They want to live. Another Russian surrendered to a drone; he understands that this is not his war. Ukraine will reclaim all territories."

It isn't the first time Ukraine has used drones to direct the surrender of Russian troops.

A drone commander told the Kyiv Post earlier in February how they use the drones for the job.

The commander told the publication a drone "drops a note like: 'Go surrender, you won't be killed, and they will feed you.' And sometimes, a (Russian) soldier raises a white flag himself or signals with gestures or raised hands."

Ukraine has innovated the use of cheap, airborne drones during the Russian invasion for a range of tasks, including surveillance, dropping bombs, and being fitted with explosives and driven into targets.

It is fighting to resist intensifying Russian attacks, with Ukrainian soldiers experiencing serious ammunition shortages amid an aid block by Republicans in Congress.

But despite its advantages, morale among Russian troops is extremely low on parts of the front line, reports say, with units experiencing high casualties, inept officers, and poor equipment.