Ukraine Downs Russian Forpost Drone: Valued at $8M
In a recent development in the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, Illya Yevlash, announced on national television that Kiev's forces had successfully shot down a Russian "Forpost" drone over the Black Sea, as reported by Hotnews.ro.
"It's not often that we bring down such a target, but we managed it - one of the expensive Forpost attack drones," he stated, estimating its value at $8 million.
Military publications describe Forpost as a Russian version of a reconnaissance drone used for decades by Israel, capable of conducting surveillance missions at an altitude of 5 km continuously for 16 hours.
Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the southern Ukrainian forces group, stated that Russia has been increasingly deploying drones after Ukrainians managed to bring down at least two A-50 surveillance planes.
"In the past 24 hours, we've observed over 200 reconnaissance drones in our area of responsibility, from Odessa to Zaporozhye," she told national television.
"There have been slightly fewer today, but the enemy continues reconnaissance missions. It's clear they need to compensate for the loss of A-50," Humeniuk added.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
