Ukraine releases video said to show kamikaze drone taking out Russian tank
- The country’s special operations forces released footage showing the device barrelling towards an armoured vehicle
- Switchblade drones are loitering munitions packed full of explosives that are among the lethal aid items given by the US to Ukraine
In a first for the Ukrainian military, its special operations forces released a video of a foreign-made loitering munition, also known as a kamikaze or suicide drone, neutralising a Russian tank.
The 44-second-long video posted on Tuesday by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces to Facebook shows an overview of a Russian position. Moments later, a tank is engulfed in an explosive fireball, which turns to a plume of smoke.
The footage then pivots to a point-of-view angle showing the scene from the drone’s perspective as it barrels downward toward the Russian tank. A green square can be seen in the middle of the video, fixed on the tank and the Russian troops sitting atop the armoured vehicle, indicating the drone’s target.
As can be seen in the following graphic video, the screen goes dark right before the drone hits the tank.
“A modern kamikaze drone, equipped with a powerful explosive, flew straight into the tank, causing irreparable damage to the enemy,” Ukraine said in the Facebook text.