Ukraine launched a blast in July with the country’s Command Air Force saying troops had destroyed a Forpost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) belonging to Russia. The Command Air Force wrote in an update on its Facebook page: “On the morning of July 1, the air defense missile unit of the Pivden [South] Operational order destroyed a Russian outpost unmanned aerial vehicle, which was trying to find another target to hit in the Mykolaiv region.
“Plans of the occupiers to obtain intelligence have been interrupted. Glory to Ukraine!”
The UAV is a licensed copy of Israel’s Searcher MkII built at the Ural Civil Aviation Facility in Russia since 2010.
These drones can operate at a distance of more than 124 miles, stay in the air for about 10 hours and can reach phenomenal speeds of up to 112mph.
The UAV in question could carry two guided missiles or two aircraft bombs weighing up to 100 kg and are worth an estimated £ 5 million.
This is the latest major blow to Putin after Russian forces were driven out of the strategic Black Sea outpost of Snake Island by Ukrainian troops.
Putin’s men died after struggling to repel intense assaults in the eastern industrial city of Lysychansk.
Russia on Thursday claimed that it had decided to withdraw from Snake Island as a “gesture of goodwill” to demonstrate that it could not block UN efforts to open a humanitarian corridor that would ship grain from Ukraine.
But Ukraine insisted it had driven Russian forces from the protrusion after an artillery and missile attack, while President Zelensky praised a massive strategic victory.
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Kriviy Rih regional governor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram: “The Ukrainian armed forces not only hold lines of defense but also take part in successful operations aimed at liberating occupied villages in the Kherson region from the invaders.”
Despite some land and recent losses in the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine still hopes to inflict enough damage to deplete Russia’s advancing army and has launched counter-attacks in the south of the region.
Western allies are sending weapons to the country, with Ukraine receiving a further boost after the US said it would provide a further $ 800 million in weapons and military aid.
US President Joe Biden told a news conference after the NATO summit in Madrid: “I do not know how it will end, but it will not end with Russia defeating Ukraine.
“We are going to support Ukraine as long as it takes.”