Drones are extremely difficult to shoot down with small arms, according to RT.
A clip released by one of the military-linked Telegram accounts shows the soldier firing at the drone until it fell to the ground and exploded.
The 30-second black-and-white clip recorded with a night vision device shows the quadcopter the soldier is trying to aim at the center of the cross. Soldiers can be heard firing shot after shot at the UAV.
Another Telegram account linked to the Russian military said the soldier fired anti-aircraft artillery at the drone.
At one point, the sniper hit the target and the drone burst into flames before falling to the ground. A loud bang can be heard in the background, with one soldier shouting: “it exploded” and another saying he hit the target.
Although the UAV in the video looks like a regular quadcopter flying in the sky, the video's caption shows that it is a “Baba Yaga” class drone.
Originally designed as agricultural equipment, these drones are known for their large size and ability to carry loads of up to 50 kg.
Named after a witch-like character in Slavic folklore, the “Baba Yaga” drone can come in quadcopter (4 rotors), hexacopter (6 rotors) or even octocopter variants (8 propellers).
According to the Russian military, it can carry up to four mortar shells and can drop them on targets. Some modified versions are said to have a wingspan of up to 3 meters.
Drones are still quite slow as their speed at full load reaches around 40 km/h. Their propellers also make loud sounds. These UAVs have a maximum altitude of 400 m and a flight range of about 10 km.
Ukrainian forces often use such drones in night raids against Russian positions.
Their low altitude and noise make these drones easier to detect, but they are still considered unpleasant targets by the Russian military because they are controlled by the Starlink satellite system and have the ability to fly autonomously. .
That makes them highly resistant to electronic warfare systems commonly used against drones.
In April, soldiers and officers serving in one of Russia's volunteer units told Russian media that the army detected them at a range of up to 6 km using thermal cameras before attempting to "blind" them. ” and shoot down the UAV.
The caption of the video released on July 16 also said that the soldier who shot down the drone had a thermal sight mounted on his weapon.
