Belarus Air Force shoots down Russian drone in dramatic chase

Belarus scrambled fighter jets. They shot down Putin's drone.
Belarus scrambled fighter jets. They shot down Putin's drone.
Images source: © Licensor
Mateusz Czmiel

12:11 PM EDT, August 29, 2024

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, a fighter jet chased the drone for 20 minutes and shot it down over the Yelsk region.

According to the "Belaruski 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 - ed.) 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," the report stated.

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 220 miles, until Minsk decided to scramble helicopters and fighter jets to intercept the machine.

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