A Russian unit from the 6th Cossack Brigade pulled off a hussar stunt when their anti-aircraft defense sent a state-of-the-art reconnaissance drone to the ground. Their success was also broadcast by Russian television in a well-known propaganda program. But as it turned out later, there was no reason to be happy. The downed drone was their own.
With great pride, Russian military commentator Yevgeny Lisitsin presented the successful destruction of a super-modern enemy drone thanks to the efforts of Russian Cossacks from the 6th Cossack Brigade, Ukrainian information website Fokus noted. He proudly showed the wreckage of the destroyed machine in front of the television camera of Olga Skabeeva’s propaganda program “60 Minutes” while describing its technical parameters.
He said that the enemy machine had a wingspan of almost 2.5 meters, was equipped with a camera with a 50 millimeter lens and also had a thermal imaging function. Lisicin described in detail that the mentioned machine can fly at a height of up to 1.5 kilometers and monitor enemy positions. In addition, it carries a device for extending the range of Ukrainian Mavic drones.
But the broadcast was also noticed by a Ukrainian soldier, specialist in radio technology and war blogger Serhiy Beskrestnov, known as Flash. As he wrote, the destroyed machine, which the Russian proudly presented on TV, is not used by Ukrainians, but by Russians. This is the Russian Zala drone.
“I adore Russian TV and its military personnel. Some hot guys shot down their rare Russian UAV (unmanned aircraft, editor’s note) Zala and another idiot rush him to Skabeeva and brag,” concluded Beskrestnov.
