Joe Sticker
TendarSpectacular footage:
An Ukrainian FPV drone downed a Russian Kamov Ka-52 „Alligator“ helicopter. The crew initially survived the crash, but was subsequently targeted and destroyed by more FPV drones.
Wolf480pl
hajovonta@wolf480pl
no, it is not. These are military servicemen, enemy combatants.
Rafał@r4f4l
But Geneva Conventions have protections for out-of-combat soldiers
Wikipedia mentions the Additional Protocol I to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Article 42:
> Upon reaching the ground in territory controlled by an adverse Party, a person who has parachuted from an aircraft in distress shall be given an opportunity to surrender before being made the object of attack, unless it is apparent that he is engaging in a hostile act.
@r4f4l
To be clear, I'm not trying to villify Ukraine here.
For every one-off war-crime incident Ukraine may've made there are tens if not hundreds that Russia made systematically and on purpose.
But it still sours the joy of hearing about Ukraine shooting down the heli.
@hajovonta @Tendar
@wolf480pl
I don't know the exact circumstances, the footage does not contain everything, but I suppose the crew tried to run away or hide instead of waving the white flag.
@hajovonta @wolf480pl @Tendar Exactly. Both sides were at the moment in full combat. Moreover, it was high probability pilots were armed.
@wolf480pl @hajovonta @Tendar I disagree. That clause cannot be applied to this case. Soldiers were not out-of-combat. Hiding, doesn't mean out-of-combat.
Tobias LinkeInterresting question: I thought they have to show that they surrender, however this should be possible in a drone killing zone.
@teichralle
AFAIU they have to be given opportunity to surrender.
I don't know if the part where they're targeted is in the video (I'd need a bigger screen to see the details) - if it is, then maybe it's clear from the video they've had an opportunity and didn't use it. Idk
I also don't know what "giving an opportunity to surrender" would look like in practice, or if that rule even applies to contested territory (as opposed to territory controlled by the side that does the shooting)
Viking Chieftain@wolf480pl @teichralle @Tendar
Unless the crew was visibly surrendering or incapacitated, they would still be considered lawful military targets, and striking them would generally not violate the Geneva Conventions.