The Commander of the Drone Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Robert Brovdi, known by the call sign “Madyar,” commented on the decision of the Russian Federation to sentence him to life imprisonment in absentia.
This is reported by Finway
Brovdi’s Reaction to the Russian Court’s Verdict
On his Telegram page, Brovdi ironically reacted to the news of the verdict, pointing out the haste and absurdity of the decisions made by the Russian judicial system. He noted that in a short period, the Russians have already sentenced him in absentia several times for various cases, which, in his opinion, resembles the Kremlin’s failed plans to capture Kyiv at the beginning of the full-scale aggression.
“Life imprisonment in 48 hours. The Stakhanovite pace of worm justice reminds me of ‘Kyiv in three days.’ A week hasn’t passed since the worms in Rostov sentenced ‘Madyar’ to 18 years for oil pumping. Already on March 23-24, the court in the temporarily occupied Crimea added another 18 years of ‘strict regime’ for the destruction of ‘military personnel on the peninsula,’ and on March 25, the Moscow court opened a case regarding the murder of some propagandist and, within 48 hours, delivered a verdict – life imprisonment,” wrote the Ukrainian military leader on Telegram.
Details of the Charges and Court Decisions
According to information, on March 27, the Russian Second Western Military Court in Moscow found Brovdi guilty in absentia in a case concerning terrorism and sentenced him to life imprisonment. According to the Russian investigation, the soldiers of the 414th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly acted on Brovdi’s orders and remotely planted explosives on a road in the Kursk region. On March 26, 2025, a vehicle exploded on this stretch of road, resulting in the death of Kremlin’s “First Channel” journalist Anna Prokofyeva, as well as injuries to a cameraman and several military personnel. Russian media report that the vehicle was loaded with drones.
This is already the second instance in which Russian courts have issued a verdict against Robert Brovdi in absentia. Earlier, on March 23, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 18 years in a penal colony for allegedly aiding terrorism. Additionally, in occupied Crimea, on March 23-24, Brovdi was further sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for the destruction of military personnel.
Since the summer of 2025, Robert Brovdi has been leading the Drone Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and also commands the aerial reconnaissance unit “Madyar’s Birds.” In May 2025, he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine for his exceptional services to the state.