Oleksii Samsonov/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images
Belarus deployed an aircraft to intercept a Russian drone that had flown into its airspace, it has been reported.
“Aircraft were used for the first time in Belarus to shoot down a Shahed drone,” according to the Belarusian Hajun project, an open-source intelligence service that monitors military activity by Russian and Belarusian troops in Belarus.
The outlet said the Iranian drone had entered the airspace of Belarus in the Homiel (Gomel) region around 3:30 am, prompting the deployment of a Belarusian Air Force fighter jet.
Belarus shot down a Russian Shahed drone on its territory using air for the first time – Belarusian Hajun project.
It is reported that on the night of August 29, during another Russian attack on Ukraine, one of the Shahed drones flew into the territory of Belarus… pic.twitter.com/Aotu4GX9Tk
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 29, 2024
Less than half an hour later, at least two explosions were heard in the Yelsk district “and a bright flash was seen in the sky,” the post on X, ex Chirpsaid.
“This is probably the first recorded case of a Belarusian Air Force fighter trying to destroy a real military target in the sky,” the Hajun project added.
Newsweek has contacted the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and the Hajun Project for comment.
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