Russia MoD says it shot down Ukraine's Strizh-type (Tu-141) UAV; several buildings on fire
"In particular, Pole-21 electronic warfare complex handled Ukrainian strike drone, which resulted in its navigation system being disabled," said Russian MoD.
- World News
- 2 min read
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Russia's Ministry of Defence, on March 26, announced that it downed a Ukrainian drone with its air defences in the town of Kireyevsk - some 400km (249 miles) from the Ukraine border. At least three people are reported injured critically as the drone was shot down and it burst into flames after an explosion in the area where it crashed. Russia's Defence Ministry previously accused Ukrainian forces of targetting Russian civilians with explosive drones, a claim that was rejected by Kyiv's military.
Strizh-type (Tu-141) UAV laden with explosives damages apartment buildings
The delta-winged monoplane Strizh-type (Tu-141) UAV that was laden with explosives was shot at by the Russian air defence systems at 15:20 local time (13:20 BST), said Russia's Ministry of Defence. The damaged drone that caused the blast led to a large crater in the heart of the town, the Russian Ministry of Defence noted. Approximately 220km (137 miles) south of Moscow, in the Tula region, several apartment buildings were on fire, but no serious injuries were reported. On its official Telegram channel, the Russian Defence Ministry berated Ukraine for trying to carry out a strike.
"The grouping of Russian air defence systems deployed in Tula region - S-300 and Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as Pole-21 electronic warfare systems - provide reliable cover from this direction," Russian defence ministry said.
"In particular, the Pole-21 electronic warfare complex handled the Ukrainian strike drone, which resulted in its navigation system being disabled."
Last year, Ukraine's military targetted Russia's two key air bases that housed strategic bomber fleets with the Soviet-made UAVs – Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region and Engels in Saratov. In December, the Russian defence ministry announced that its forces began intercepting and downing the Ukrainian UAV drones that generally fly at a low altitude. Russian troops shot at another Ukrainian unmanned drone, all of these were likely Tupolev Tu-141 Strizh (Swift) drones that have been in use with UA military since 2014. “The crash and explosion of the wreckage on the Russian airfields caused minor damage to the hull armour of the two aircraft. Three Russian maintenance personnel on the airfield suffered fatal injuries," the ministry said at the time. At least four Russian servicemen were wounded and were later rushed to medical facilities for treatment.