Russia has said that it has destroyed a Ukrainian UAV using an air defence system.
The footage purports to show a Russian Tor-M1 air defence system seen covered in branches in a bid to camouflage it in a forested area.
The images then show Russian soldiers removing the camouflage and manoeuvring the vehicle into position.
The military vehicle can then be seen deploying its tracking technology before apparently locking on a target, with the vehicle then seen opening fire and launching a missile into the air.
The footage purports to show a second missile firing and apparently destroying a target as the video ends
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday, 26th May, along with a statement claiming: “The calculation of the Tor-M1 air defence system destroyed the reconnaissance drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the front line of our troops.”
The Russian MoD added: “In the course of a special military operation, crews of anti-aircraft missile systems of air defence around the clock provide the troops of the Central Military District (CMD) with a reliable shield against attacks by enemy air targets.
“In the Krasnolimansky direction, the crew of the Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system destroyed reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the front edge of the deployment of our troops.
“Having taken a position, the calculation with the help of an all-round radar station detected the movement of nationalist drones. After identifying the targets, missile launches were made.
“Every day, day and night, the crews of the Tor anti-aircraft missile systems ‘scan’ the airspace. As soon as any air object that does not respond to the ‘friend or foe’ request enters the responsibility area, the crews take the object for escort and are ready to hit the target at any second.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 457th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 26th May 2023, Russia had lost about 205,720 personnel, 3,796 tanks, 7,435 armoured combat vehicles, 3,384 artillery units, 570 multiple launch rocket systems, 328 air defence systems, 328 warplanes, 296 helicopters, 2,910 drones, 1,015 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,161 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 446 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
The authoritarian President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, claimed on Thursday that the relocation of some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus had already begun.
The head of the notorious Russian mercenary organisation Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that he has begun withdrawing his forces from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and handing over Wagner’s positions to regular Russian forces.
The United States has accused Wagner of supplying surface-to-air missiles to a Sudanese paramilitary group.
Ukraine said on Thursday that it had secured the release of 106 of its soldiers, who it said had been captured in Bakhmut, in a prisoner exchange with Russia.
Ukraine said on Thursday that it had shot down all 36 Iranian-made drones that Russia had launched in overnight attacks.
Russia has denied that a fire broke out at the Ministry of Defence in Moscow after reports in the state-owned TASS news agency and on social media said that emergency services had been dispatched to the building, reporting that there had been a fire at the ministry early on Thursday morning.
TASS later said that there had been no fire.
General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday: “This war, militarily, is not going to be won by Russia. It’s just not.”
But Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev has said that his country’s war in Ukraine could continue for decades.
