Belarus uses aircraft to down Russian drone for the first time
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
In Belarus, aviation has been used for the first time to shoot down a Russian Shahed drone. The drone once again entered Belarusian airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, according to the monitoring group Belaruski Hayun.
"Last night (on August 29), during yet another Russian attack on Ukraine, one of the Shaheds once again flew into Belarusian territory, in the Yelsk district. This happened at 3:30 AM," the report said.
According to the monitoring group, after the Shahed entered Belarusian airspace, a fighter jet of the Belarusian Air Force chased the intruder for about 20 minutes, and around 3:55 AM in the Yelsk district of the Gomel region, at least two explosions were heard, and a bright flash was observed in the sky.
"This is likely the first recorded instance where a Belarusian Air Force fighter attempted to destroy an actual military target in the sky—a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone," the report added.
Russian strikes on Ukraine and drone incursions into Belarus
Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine, using both drones and missiles. Recently, it has become more common for Russian Shaheds to enter Belarusian territory during strikes on Ukraine.
The first such incident occurred on July 12, followed by similar cases on July 13, 16, and 31. According to previous calculations by Belaruski Hayun, at least nine Shaheds entered Belarus in July. Until now, Belarusian forces had only scrambled their jets in response but had not used them.
