Members of a Russian tank crew find themselves as the target of a Ukrainian drone crew during a tactical pause. The drone-dropped munition kills or wounds two of the crew members as the driver buttons up the tank.

A tactical pause in combat operations is always incredibly dangerous. Generally speaking, when a pause is taken for troops to conduct administrative activities like relieving themselves of biological waste or conducting hasty repairs on malfunctioning equipment, they set out guardian angel positions that protect them from enemy ambushes. We haven't seen the Russian conducting this often, and as a result it's not uncommon to see Russian troops becoming a target of opportunity when they make these poor decisions. Also, when it comes to dealing with the drone threat, it's unclear how effective something like a guardian angel position would even be.

The reason we see the Russian driver immediately close the tank hatch is because he's safeguarding the tank from follow on attacks. The driver of the vehicle likely doesn't know if the drone has more munitions that it can drop, or if there are other drones standing by to continue the attack. Exiting the vehicle immediately to help his wounded crew-mates could spell disaster for not only him, but for the vehicle itself as the Ukrainians have proven time and time again that they're skilled enough with their drones to land the munitions directly inside of open hatches.

While it may seem like a cruel move by the driver, from a tactical perspective it makes sense. One of the foundational principles of Traumatic Combat Casualty Care is to gain control of the situation and to not become an additional casualty yourself. You cannot help your wounded friends if you are also wounded, or if the vehicle you intend to bail your friends out in is destroyed. Safeguarding the equipment will allow for the driver of that vehicle to call for support from adjacent units to help his wounded friends. While they may bleed for a while, help is at least now on the way. The alternative is a destroyed tank and three wounded or killed Russians as opposed to two wounded or killed Russians with an in-tact tank.