As death approached from above, a Ukrainian serviceman showed nerves of steel to ensure he survived with his comrades to fight another day — a viral video on the internet showed.
In yet another instance of a drone vs man scenario from the front lines of the ongoing invasion, a Ukrainian soldier was captured on camera gunning down a Russian kamikaze drone from what appeared to be a modified buggy.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:
It was not mentioned when and where the encounter happened. The viral video, shared by the 92nd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, showed the open-roofed vehicle racing through a muddy road. The soldier seated in the back could be heard firing his weapon repeatedly. It then became clear that he was wielding a shotgun. Shell casings were ejected as he fired again and again in to the air.
After a few shots, a massive blast erupted mid-air, just a few metres from the vehicle. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) exploded into a fireball behind the branches of a tree. It was at that moment that the presence of a pursuing Russian drone became evident, and the Ukrainian servicemen had narrowly evaded certain death! Had the shotgun not found its mark, the kamikaze drone would almost certainly have destroyed the vehicle. The uneven country road — and the ghostly plume of dust it stirred up along the way — concealed the incoming drone in the shaky footage.
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The soldiers quickly halted the buggy once the threat was neutralised. Moscow’s radar-breaching fibre-optic drones posed a major threat to Ukrainian defenders. Although many of their vehicles were now protected by specially designed steel cages intended to stop UAVs, casualties still occurred across the front lines. THE WEEK couldn’t independently verify the authenticity of the video.
In a similar video that went viral on the internet last month, a soldier was seen making a sharp turn at the last moment upon spotting a Russian FPV drone heading his way. He too managed to cheat death, as the drone exploded just behind him.
In recent days, Moscow pummeled Ukraine almost nightly with Iranian-designed drones, as it had throughout much of the war, now in its fourth year. These drones swarmed above Ukrainian cities, their moped-like hum filling the air as air defences and sharpshooters took aim. While some carried warheads, many were merely decoys.
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Russia continued to improve its drone technology and tactics, striking Ukraine with increasing success. However, the UK’s Ministry of Defence stated that Israel’s recent strikes on Iran would likely negatively impact Tehran’s ability to supply Russia with military equipment, as Iran had been a significant source of attack drones for Moscow.
