Belarus downs Russian drone: Military jets scramble to intercept
In Belarus, for the first time, a Russian drone was shot down using aviation, reports the Belarusian Hajun group, which monitors military movements in the country. According to the organization, the fighter jet chased the drone for 20 minutes and shot it down over the Yelsk region.
According to the Belarusian Hajun group, the shoot-down occurred around 9:30 PM Eastern Time.
First such case
"According to our data, after the intruder-suicide bomber (drone) entered Belarusian airspace, a fighter jet from the Belarusian Air Force chased the intruder for approximately 20 minutes. Around 9:55 PM Eastern Time in the Yelsk region of the Gomel district, residents heard at least two explosions and observed a bright flash in the sky," it reads.
Minsk scrambled fighter jets
This is probably the first recorded case where a Belarusian Air Force fighter jet attempted to destroy a real military target in the sky - a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone.
In mid-July, we reported that a Shahed drone used by the Russians, which was supposed to hit Ukraine, entered Belarusian airspace. The drone flew about 355 kilometres, until Minsk decided to scramble helicopters and fighter jets to intercept the machine.
