In a first, Ukraine attacks Russia with US-made kamikaze drone

New Delhi: Ukrainian forces on Tuesday allegedly used a US-made unmanned aerial vehicle for the first time in an attack on Russian territory, reported Russia Today, citing multiple media agencies including Mash and SHOT. According to reports, the Switchblade drone, made by the American AeroVironment company, entered Russian airspace from Ukraine before crashing in the Russian Belgorod Region, bordering Ukrainian territory. The drone fell just around 500 meters away from the border between the two nations, without inflicting any damage or casualties, Russia Today quoted local news outlets as saying. Neither Mash, nor SHOT reportedly provided any photos or video from the alleged drone crash site. The Russian military has not commented on the incident, added the report. What is Switchblade drone? The Switchblade is a miniature kamikaze drone capable of dive-bombing targets. It can weigh up to 15 kg and has a length of between 49 and 130 cm depending on the modification. The US has supplied Kiev with some 700 Switchblade drones, as well as 1,800 Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drones. In the midst of the ongoing crisis between Moscow and Kiev, Russia has often witnessed drone assaults from Ukraine, notably in its border regions. A few Ukrainian attacks even hit deeper-seated Russian territories. In December 2022, Ukrainian UAVs attacked Dyagilevo and Engels military airfields located 500km (310.6 miles) and 700km (435 miles) from Ukrainian-held territory, respectively. Three servicemen were killed and two aircraft received minor damage, the Russian Ministry of Defense said at the time. Soviet-made drones Ukrainian forces usually used locally-produced or Soviet-made drones like revamped Tu-141 Strizh (‘Swift’) reconnaissance UAVs in such attacks, according to media reports. Citing Mash, Russia Today report said that in February a Ukrainian drone that crashed in an apartment block in the Russian city of Belgorod was carrying a “British-made plastic explosive device containing metallic shrapnel.” Moscow has repeatedly accused the collective West of enabling Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory. In his annual address to the Federal Assembly in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Kiev’s handlers had been directly involved in drone attacks on the country’s facilities housing strategic, nuclear-capable aviation. The US and its allies have been supplying Kiev with all sorts of weapons ranging from portable anti-tank missiles to infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and artillery pieces. Yet, Washington has repeatedly refused to provide the Ukrainian troops with longer-range weapons like the ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles, citing a risk of an all-out war between Russia and NATO if such weapons were used to target Russian territory. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.