Helmet camera footage of a former US Marine capturing Russian soldiers in Ukraine has drawn more than 1 million views on Telegram, according to Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade, as the American volunteer’s calm demeanor during the tense battlefield encounter resonated with online audiences.

The video shows Russian fighters surrendering to an assault team as the American soldier, speaking a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian, directs them through the capitulation process before offering cigarettes to the captured troops. The 63rd Mechanized Brigade posted the clip on social media, noting the soldier’s “politeness” as he instructs Russian fighters: “On your knees, please.”

The American volunteer

Bruce, a California native and former US Marine who asked not to use his surname, filmed the video on a helmet-mounted action camera, according to an interview with RFE/RL. He spoke to the outlet while recovering from shrapnel wounds received in another battle.

“I don’t have the urge to shoot everything that I see anymore,” Bruce told RFE/RL. “This war has caused enough suffering, so if I can alleviate it in any place that I can then I’ll do that, whether it be for people on my side or people on their side.”

Bruce said he believes the video resonated in part because of the calmness of the interaction despite the tension inherent in such battlefield encounters.

The American volunteer arrived in Ukraine in spring 2025, joining a group of foreign fighters from Ireland, Canada, and the United States with the 63rd Mechanized Brigade.

First contact

Bruce’s first engagement with Russian fighters nearly proved fatal, according to his account. Late one summer night, he was holding a position with a Ukrainian fighter when Russian troops approached undetected and threw two grenades into their dugout.

The explosions perforated Bruce’s eardrum, though a sandbag blocked the shrapnel. “I immediately picked up my rifle and started engaging, making sure that they’re not going to push through the door through the smoke and the dust,” he told RFE/RL. “Following that, I heard one of them scream when I hit them. That was the first man that I’ve ever shot.”

After repelling the assault, Russian forces deployed drones to drop incendiary material and grenades on their position, he said. “When morning came they hit us with two FPV [first-person-view kamikaze] drones to our door and destroyed everything,” Bruce said. The two fighters eventually retreated.

During the ordeal, Bruce said his thoughts turned to home. “Like wanting to see your mom again, you know, thinking about your girlfriend, wondering if you’re gonna do this again or that again, just wishing that you weren’t there in that moment.”

Assault missions

After feeling under-utilized in defensive positions, Bruce volunteered for assault missions, the most dangerous infantry assignment involving advancing into enemy territory to storm Russian positions through close combat.

When asked about conditions in contested areas between Russian and Ukrainian positions, Bruce described “a horrifying place” that “feels like the apocalypse.”

Russian soldiers’ bodies are rarely recovered, he said, meaning fields and forests along front lines are littered with remains. “It feels like a zombie movie or something.”

Above this landscape, he said, “it’s nothing but constant drones, whether it be your side or the Russians. A lot of times you have no idea whose drone it is.”

“If you’re just walking around out there and a Mavic [Chinese-made quadcopter used largely for reconnaissance] sees you, it’s probably communicating that to the mortar or artillery teams or FPV pilots and your best bet is to go and hide,” Bruce said.

Peace talks and surrender

Amid peace negotiations led by US President Donald Trump’s White House, Bruce said frontline fighters pay little attention. “To be honest, none of us really pay attention to those peace talks. We feel like the war is going to continue for a long time here,” he told RFE/RL.

Regarding the viral video, Bruce said he hopes it will reach Russian fighters on the front lines. “I want [Russian fighters] to know that they can surrender. So I don’t get killed going inside and storming their position, so I don’t lose friends going inside,” he said.

“I want them to know that that’s an option for them and that they will be treated OK afterward,” he said.