A drone whirred through a shopping centre in the Russian city of Voronezh as Shaman, an operator for the Russian army, showed shoppers one of the devices that have dominated the battlefield in Ukraine.
Hiding his face behind a balaclava, the 19-year-old told AFP he would soon leave to fight in the war, vowing "to defend my country" -- which launched a large-scale offensive against its neighbour four years ago.
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