The commander of the Drone Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Robert Brovdi, known by the call sign ‘Madyar’, responded to reports of his in absentia sentencing in Russia to life imprisonment. According to him, the decision of the Russian court was made with extraordinary speed, and he compared the process to the failed occupiers’ plan ‘Kyiv in three days’.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Circumstances of the In Absentia Verdict
It is known that on March 27, the Second Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced Robert Brovdi in absentia to life imprisonment in a case related to terrorism. According to the Russian prosecution, the military of the 414th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, under his command, remotely planted explosives on one of the roads in the Kursk region. As a result of the explosion on March 26, 2025, journalist Anna Prokofyeva from ‘Channel One’ was killed, and a cameraman and military personnel were injured. It is noted that drones were being transported in the vehicle that exploded.
Previous Sentences and Brovdi’s Activities
This is not the first in absentia sentence issued against Robert Brovdi on the territory of the Russian Federation. On March 23, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 18 years in a penal colony on charges of aiding terrorism. Additionally, on March 23-24, a court in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea added another 18 years of strict regime for the destruction of Russian servicemen on the peninsula. On March 25, a Moscow court began hearing a new case, and within two days, a life sentence was handed down for the alleged murder of a Russian propagandist.
“Life imprisonment in 48 hours. The Stakhanovite pace of worm justice, reminiscent of ‘Kyiv in three days’. A week hasn’t passed since the worms in Rostov slapped ‘Madyar’ with 18 years for oil pipeline sabotage. Already on March 23-24, the court in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea added another 18 years of strict regime for the destruction of ‘servicemen on the peninsula’, and on March 25, the Moscow court opened a case regarding the murder of some propagandist, and within 48 hours issued a verdict – life imprisonment,” wrote the Ukrainian military leader on Telegram.
Since the summer of 2025, Robert Brovdi has held the position of commander of the Drone Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and also leads the aerial reconnaissance unit ‘Madyar’s Birds’. In May 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine.