New footage circulating online shows the dramatic moment when a Ukrainian-operated Bayraktar TB2 drone targets a Russian transport boat as troops attempt to unload equipment.
In the clip, Russian soldiers look to be moving back and forth from a KS-701 “Tuna” transport boat to the shoreline before it is hit by a Ukrainian drone strike.
The footage, which viewers may find upsetting, was possibly filmed in the northwestern area of the Black Sea, according to one report, although Newsweek could not independently verify when or where it was taken. The Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries have been contacted for comment via email.
Ukraine has long made use of Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) in its fight against Russian forces. The medium-altitude, long-endurance drone can operate both as a surveillance asset or an attack drone, according to its manufacturer.
Birol BEBEK/AFP via Getty Images
The drone war has played a significant role in the now 18-month old conflict in Ukraine, with experts saying the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has driven innovation in drone technology, and how they are used in modern warfare.
The new uncrewed technology—and both sides’ ability to get hold of and use it—is progressing at “lightning pace,” U.K.-based drone expert, Steve Wright, previously told Newsweek.
Referring to the footage of the Bayraktar targeting Russian soldiers moving equipment from a KS-701 boat, Dutch open-source outlet, Oryx, said in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday that up to 20 Bayraktar TB2s are still in use as long-range Ukrainian reconnaissance drones.
“Since August, these UCAVs have once again been employed for strike missions over Kherson Oblast,” Oryx added, referring to the annexed southern region of Ukraine where Kyiv is currently carrying out counteroffensive operations.
#Ukraine: After time absent, the Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 UCAV is back – a Russian KS-701 patrol boat unloading equipment was destroyed by a TB-2 strike reportedly in the North-Western part of the Black Sea. pic.twitter.com/37110TYgpQ
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) September 3, 2023
Ukraine began construction of a Bayraktar TB2 plant in mid-July. Their Turkish-designed drones will include Ukrainian components, local media reported at the time. Baykar, the company behind the Bayraktar TB2, donated one of the drones to Ukraine to mark the country’s independence day in late August, Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said on August 24. Baykar also donated two TB2s to Ukraine at the start of the year, the agency said.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who—as minister for digital transformation—is at the helm of Ukraine’s rapid investment in innovative drone technology, told Newsweek in August that “Ukraine is on its way to becoming a world leader in drones production.”
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a “major shift” in Ukrainian unmanned vehicle production, Fedorov said.
“In a year, [Ukraine’s drone] industry [has produced] different types of drones: FPV (first-person view), strike, bombers, large-radius drones,” he said. “Prior to the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s industry has been focused mostly on air reconnaissance.”