A Russian soldier has shot down a Ukrainian kamikaze drone that was buzzing a military transport vehicle, a new video circulating on social media shows.
On Sunday, several Russian Telegram channels covering the Ukraine conflict posted an undated video showing a Russian squad in full gear driving at high speed down a road in an unspecified location at dusk. One soldier is seen pointing at a small four-rotor aircraft, which quickly approaches the vehicle from behind.
One of the service members is heard saying: “F**k, it’s not friendly.” Another soldier takes his assault rifle and fires at the drone, which by that time was just around a dozen meters from the vehicle, hitting it with the first shot and sending sparks flying.
Part of the drone – apparently the payload – is ripped off; the aircraft flips over and crashes to the ground with a loud explosion, while soldiers are heard cursing in the background. One of the men says the electronic warfare system failed to prevent the drone attack. They then praise the shooter for his marksmanship.
During the Ukraine conflict, drones have become a crucial tool on the battlefield which is used by both sides for reconnaissance, fire control, as well as short- and long-range strikes. Kamikaze drones have been touted as effective and cheap weapons against military vehicles, including tanks that cost millions of dollars.
What is Known About Ukraine’s Attack on Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant?
Earlier on Sunday, the governor of Russia's Zaporozhye region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said that as a result of shelling of the city of Energodar by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a fire had broken out at the Zaporozhye NPP cooling system facility. It was later determined that the nuclear power plant had been attacked by a Ukranian kamikaze drone.
Ukrainian forces’ strike on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant can be characterized as an act of nuclear terrorism on the part of Ukraine’s authorities, Russian state corporation Rosatom said on Sunday. It was established that the facility was attacked by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone, the plant's spokesperson, Yevgeniya Yashina, told Sputnik.
"In essence, this attack is one of the elements of disabling the station. This is an unprecedented threat to nuclear safety, since the nuclear power plant has suffered such serious damage for the first time. The physical integrity of the nuclear power plant has been breached, thereby breaching the basic principles of the IAEA," Yashina said.
She added that it breached the plant’s physical integrity, creating an unprecedented threat to nuclear safety, and thereby violating the basic principles of the IAEA.
What is known about Ukraine’s attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant?
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) August 12, 2024
Ukrainian forces’ strike on the Zaporozhye power plant can be characterized as an act of nuclear terrorism on the part of Ukraine’s authorities, Rosatom stated.
It was established that the… pic.twitter.com/pvxUPn9oBN
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the strike by Ukrainian forces with the rhetorical question: “Where is Rafael Grossi and the entire IAEA? Where is at least some semblance of work from this UN entity responsible for this critical area? The terrorists in Kiev, under the leadership of the collective West, destroyed their country, ruined the people of Ukraine, undermined world energy and food security, and now they have taken up nuclear terror on the continent.”
What is known about the attack?
Ukrainian forces carried out two direct strikes on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant using attack drones on August 11, at 17:20 and 17:32 GMT, Russia’s Rosatom state corporation reported.
One of the two cooling towers at the facility was directly struck by UAVs drones, resulting in a fire that burned through its internal structure. The tower, which is part of equipment meant to cool water during the plant’s normal operation, was “seriously damaged” in the attack. The threat of the structure’s collapse will be assessed by experts when the situation allows.
The governor of Russia's Zaporozhye region, Yevgeny Balitsky, later stated that there is no danger to the town of Energodar or the region from the fire at the plant following the attack, and there is no threat to the plant itself.
IAEA experts received information from the nuclear plant about a suspected UAV attack, the agency said. It noted in a statement that its experts witnessed heavy smoke coming from the northern area of plant in the evening.
IAEA must address Ukraine’s nuclear terrorism at Zaporozhye NPP — Rosatom CEO
The CEO of Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation wants the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to address the recent Ukrainian drone attack targeting the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, beyond just a simple condemnation.
©Sergey Bobylev/POOL/TASS
"We urge [the IAEA leadership] not to stop at stating the inadmissibility of such actions (the attack on the nuclear power plant - TASS). It is necessary to clearly identify the source and give this a political and international assessment," Alexey Likhachev told journalists on the sidelines of the Army forum.
On August 11, at 8:20 p.m. Moscow time (5:20 p.m. GMT) and 8:32 p.m. (5:32 p.m. GMT), there were two direct strikes by Ukrainian UAVs on one of the two cooling towers at the Zaporozhye NPP, resulting in a fire. By 11:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. GMT) the main fire was extinguished by Emergencies Ministry units. The fire did not affect the NPP's operation, as the plant is shut down, and the attacked towers were not involved in the cooling process.
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