Russia Claims Its Mobile Fire Groups Repelled Ukrainian Drone Attack Near Lyman

This footage purports to show Russian gun crews shooting down Ukrainian drones during a night engagement near Lyman.

The footage was obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 27th August and reportedly shows the engagement on the Lyman axis, in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.

The video shows a mobile fire group tracking targets before opening fire, allegedly destroying the drones as they approached.

The Russian MoD claimed in a statement: "Crews of mobile fire groups of the West group of forces organised air cover against reconnaissance and strike drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the zone of the special military operation on the Krasny Liman axis.

"Crews of mobile fire groups of the West group of forces carry out round-the-clock combat duty, conduct continuous observation of the air situation and successfully thwart attempts by reconnaissance and strike drones of Ukrainian Armed Forces militants to penetrate on the Krasny Liman axis in the zone of the special military operation.

"The most difficult operational tasks arise at night.

"Crews of mobile fire groups, acting on the basis of aerial reconnaissance data, promptly move out to positions to intercept enemy unmanned aerial vehicles.

"In the footage, one of the mobile fire groups repelled another attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones during combat duty.

"Radar reconnaissance equipment detected aerial targets moving along a route leading to Russian positions with the aim of reconnaissance and further delivery of a fire strike.

"Thanks to the coordinated actions of the crew, the aerial targets were destroyed.

"After the combat work, the mobile fire group promptly changed position and continued combat duty.

"During a single period of combat duty, a well-coordinated crew destroys several aerial targets, demonstrating high effectiveness against both large fixed-wing drones and manoeuvrable, hard-to-detect FPV drones.

"Such high effectiveness has become possible thanks to colossal combat experience, competent application of tactical schemes and excellent coordination of the actions of the servicemen ensuring the security of Russia's borders."

Lyman sits in the north of Donetsk Oblast and has been held by Ukraine since it was retaken in October 2022.

Thursday marked 1,645 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022, in what the Kremlin still officially calls a "special military operation".

We have not been able to independently verify the images or the statement.

(Joe Golder/Clipzilla/NX)