Kyiv has shared new footage showing Ukrainian-made "Vampire" attack drones targeting Russian assets around the decimated Donetsk city of Bakhmut, close to the current frontlines of fighting in the east of the war-torn country.
The "Vampire" drones hit a Russian warehouse and armored combat vehicle, evading Russian electronic warfare equipment "that tried to shoot them down" before the Ukrainian drones returned back to base, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
Fedorov, who is at the helm of Ukraine's rapid investment in innovative drone technology as Ukraine's minister for digital transformation, told Newsweek earlier in August that "Ukraine is on its way to becoming a world leader in drones production."
The last 18 months of war have sparked a "major shift" in Ukrainian unmanned vehicle manufacturing, Fedorov said. "In a year, Ukrainian drone's industry produces different types of drones: FPV [first-person view], strike, bombers, large-radius drones," he added. "Prior to the full-scale invasion, Ukraine's industry has been focused mostly on air reconnaissance."
On Monday, sharing footage of the "Vampire" drone strike in the Bakhmut vicinity, Fedorov said Kyiv was forging ahead with drone production, commenting: "More to come!"
Newsweek could not independently verify the footage, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Ukrainian-made Vampire drones in action on Bakhmut direction. They hit Russian warehouse and armored combat vehicle. Despite the 🇷🇺 electronic warfare that tried to shoot them down, our birds returned home. Continue to develop 🇺🇦 drone production. More to come! pic.twitter.com/TTWl2sm7xI
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) August 21, 2023
On Friday, Fedorov said 270 "Vampire" strike drones from Ukraine's "Army of Drones" would be heading towards the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine. The area around Bakhmut is still heavily contested after Russian forces claimed control of the largely destroyed settlement in mid-May. However, Ukraine has maintained its forces are battling around the settlement, and Western assessments suggest Kyiv has retaken territory to the north and south of the city since its counteroffensive started in early June.
The Ukrainian-made copter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can carry a payload of up to 15 kilograms (about 33 pounds), Fedorov said, and are mainly used to target armored military vehicles and tanks, as well as ammunition depots, warehouses and enemy defenses.
"Each drone is equipped with a thermal imager, so it can operate effectively at night," Fedorov added. "You will soon see the explosive results of the work of these "birds" in the reports of the UAV strike groups."
In an update on Monday, Fedorov said in a statement that over the past week, Ukraine's military had used drones to target 33 Russian tanks, 43 armored vehicles and 10 warehouses used to store both fuel and ammunition for Moscow's troops.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
