Incredible footage shows a Ukrainian drone operator sparing the life of an injured Russian soldier after initially trying to kill him.

The unverified video released by Ukraine‘s K-2 Battalion, which is part of the 54th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, begins with a drone scouring a Russian trench in the aftermath of an attack.

It locates the Russian soldier lying on top of bodies and drops a grenade nearby which fails to kill him.

Returning to the trench later, the footage shows the injured man has crawled away from near where the grenade exploded and can be seen looking up at the sky.

Putting his palms together in a gesture of prayer, he appears to be begging for his life from the drone operator, who takes pity on him.

After dumping its grenades on the battlefield, the drone returns to the base and then returns with a bottle of water and a message detailing how the soldier can find Ukrainian lines.

The soldier crosses himself and signals his thanks before taking a drink of water. He then appears to inject a painkiller into his left arm.

After resting exhausted on the ground, he clambers out of the trench into No Man’s Land, picking his way between bomb craters.

He is led by the drone operator through the battlefield where a shell can be seen hitting the ground near him. Subtitles on the video claim Russian forces are shooting at him.

The Russian soldier eventually makes it to a Ukrainian trench and surrenders to two Ukrainian soldiers who frog-march him to a command post.

It has not been possible to independently verify the video or determine when or where it was shot. Reports suggest it may have been recorded in the Donbas region of east Ukraine, where the K-2 Battalion has been positioned.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been battling in the east, including hand-to-hand combat in the Kharkiv border region.

The footage could form part of a recruitment drive for the battalion which is desperate to attract more Ukrainians to join the war effort.

It was posted on several social media platforms, including the messaging app Telegram, where its running time was more than 18 minutes.