Ex-KDF Pilot Details 6 Days Under Tree Amid Drone Attacks in Russia-Ukraine War

Former KDF pilot Samuel Kariuki has recounted how he survived six days on a warfront in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, hiding beneath a fallen tree as drones repeatedly searched for him.

Speaking in a media interview on Friday, September 4, 2026, Kariuki said he remained beneath the tree with only two chocolates in his pocket as drones flew over the area, waiting for an opportunity to move.

“I went and lay there for six good days, eating two chocolates only,” he recalled.

Kariuki said several types of drones were being used during the fighting. He described one as a surveillance drone that acted as an “eye” over the battlefield, while others were used to carry explosives and strike targets.

He said a Baba Yaga drone struck the tree twice while he was underneath it, but the size of the tree helped shield him from the attacks.

As the days passed, however, staying hidden became increasingly difficult. Kariuki said a drone would come roughly every two hours, forcing him to remain in hiding while he waited for the area to become safe enough to move.

A desperate decision to leave his hiding place

After six days under the tree, Kariuki said hunger had become as much a threat as the drones.

“I decided now, and I actually prayed and I told God, now this time, it’s either I die because of drone or I die because of hunger. But the answer is death,” he said.

He eventually left the tree and heard another Russian fighter calling to him from a distance.

Kariuki said he could speak some Russian and was able to communicate with the man, who told him to come closer. When he asked about the conditions in the sky, the man told him to keep moving.

The Russian fighter had a bottle of dirty water that he had fetched from a river. Kariuki said he tried to drink it but vomited because he had gone for a long time without food.

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Despite his condition, the two men decided to make their way back to the commander’s trench, which Kariuki said was about 700 metres away.

His weapon had been destroyed by a drone, while the other fighter had one weapon. With only one gun and the bottle of water between them, Kariuki told the man to carry the weapon while he carried the water.

“You carry the gun, let me carry water. At least I die with something I can survive on,” he recalled.

Kariuki said they managed to cover the 700 metres without a drone striking them, something he attributed to God’s protection.

Their arrival at the commander’s trench, however, did not end the danger.

The Russian fighter is killed as Kariuki continues alone

Kariuki said drones soon shifted their attention to the commander’s position after the two reached the trench.

The Russian fighter who had helped him was killed.

Kariuki then jumped into a sunflower house, took the gun and continued moving on his own.

By then, he was badly injured and had to rely on skills he had learned during his time in the KDF to find his way. Without a phone, he said he used natural signs, including the sun, wind and North Star, to navigate.

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Kariuki said he eventually made his way close to the commander’s position, where he was directed to a frontline doctor.

The doctor assessed his injuries and recommended that he be taken to a hospital about 25 kilometres away.

Getting to hospital presented another challenge.

Kariuki said the commander gave him food cans before he set off for the hospital. With nobody able to accompany him because of the fighting and drones in the area, he began the journey on foot, walking and sleeping along the way despite his injuries.

“Drones are all over. Cars have been hit all over. So I had to walk my way back,” he said.

Kariuki’s account offers a glimpse into the physical and psychological strain faced by soldiers caught in modern warfare, where remaining alive can depend on finding cover, conserving limited supplies and knowing when to move.

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Former KDF pilot Samuel Kariuki pictured with fellow soldiers.PHOTO / SCREENGRAB.