'Please, I need bread.' Ukrainian troops spot desperate message in the snow and respond by drone
Ukrainian soldiers help woman via drone in Kostiantynivka (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
In Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops delivered bread to an elderly woman using a drone. The request for essentials, which the reconnaissance drone operator spotted, was written simply in the snow, according to the 3rd Border Guard Detachment named after Hero of Ukraine Colonel Yevhen Pikus.
How Ukraine’s defenders helped a woman in war-torn Kostiantynivka
"Please, I need bread" — this was the message spotted by 19-year-old Maksym "Maliuk," a drone operator in the Phoenix border guard unit, while flying over war-torn Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region.
It is specified that:
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The message was written by a resident, described as an "elderly woman";
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"Maliuk" saw her writing the words directly on the snow.
Commenting on the incident, Maksym said that he:
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has been serving in the Phoenix unit since April last year;
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works as an unmanned aerial vehicle operator;
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is engaged, among other duties, in reconnaissance.
"Kostiantynivka… Werre watching… We're searching [for the enemy, — Ed.]… We're examining every corner," he said.
City view from drone (video frame: facebook.com/luhanskdpsu)
The young soldier noted that this is exactly how he spotted the message.
"I saw that it was written by an elderly woman in the snow. And she wasn’t writing toward Russia, but toward us — toward the Ukrainian defenders. She was asking us specifically," the serviceman emphasized.
Message written in snow (video frame: facebook.com/luhanskdpsu)
"Maliuk" also described his next steps: "First, I saw the message and took a photo. Then I contacted my commanders and asked for permission to act."
"They sent me the necessary supplies afterward, a drop. I delivered a loaf of bread to the woman, plus some cookies. That's how it happened," he recalled.
In the footage shared in the post, a new message from the resident can be seen written in the snow: "Thank you!"
Thanks to Ukrainian defenders (video frame: facebook.com/luhanskdpsu)
"Whenever I see messages like this, I will respond. These are our people, and we are obliged to help them. We are here for them," explained the Phoenix unit drone operator, describing his actions.
In Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops delivered bread to an elderly woman using a drone pic.twitter.com/pmvD7gnefd
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) January 20, 2026
Over the course of January 19, the enemy attempted to advance 15 times on the Kostiantynivka axis, in the areas of Kleban-Byk, Yablunivka, Rusyn Yar, and toward Kostiantynivka and Novopavlivka.
Meanwhile, border guards have released footage showing how they struck a Russian Grad multiple-launch rocket system on the outskirts of Kostiantynivka.
Read also why the key task facing Ukraine’s military command right now is to create its own anti-drone shield.
