WATCH Russian soldier shoot down large Ukrainian drone

A Russian paratrooper has shot down a large Ukrainian drone using only his rifle, according to footage published by a military-linked Telegram channel. The serviceman fired at the UAV until it fell to the ground and exploded.

The 30-second black-and-white clip recorded with night vision equipment shows what appears to be a quadcopter, which a soldier is trying to center in his crosshairs. The serviceman can be heard firing single rounds at the UAV. Another Telegram channel linked to the military suggested that the soldier had fired a flak cannon at the drone.

At some point, the sniper hits his mark and the drone catches fire before falling to the ground. A loud blast can be heard in the background, with one soldier shouting “it exploded” and another one saying that he had hit his target.

Although the UAV in the video appeared to look like a regular small quadcopter hovering in the sky, a caption to the video suggested that it was from the ‘Baba Yaga’ class of drones. Originally designed as agricultural equipment, these drones are known for their large size and ability to carry heavy payloads of up to 50kg.

Named after a witch-like character from Slavic folklore, the 'Baba Yaga' can come in quadcopter, hexacopter or even octocopter variants. According to the Russian military, it can carry up to four mortar shells that it can drop on its targets. Some of the modifications reportedly have a wingspan of up to 3 meters.

The drones are relatively slow as their speed at full load amounts to around 40kph. Their rotors also emit a loud sound. The UAVs have a maximum altitude of 400 meters and a flight range of some 10km. Kiev’s forces often use such drones in night raids against Russian positions.

Low altitude and noise make them easier to detect, but they are still considered tough targets by the Russian military since they are controlled with the Starlink satellite system and are capable of autonomous flight. That makes them highly resistant to electronic warfare systems often used to combat UAVs.

In April, soldiers and officers serving with a Russian volunteer unit told the national media that the troops detect them at a range of up to 6km using thermal cameras before trying to “blind” them and shoot them down. The caption to the video published on Tuesday also said that the soldier who shot down the drone had a thermal scope mounted on his weapon.