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Russia-Ukraine war: 'First footage ever' shows Turkish drone strike Russian forces

Ukrainian military video appears to show Bayraktar TB2 drone pummel Russian forces in Kherson region
Screengrab from footage released by the Ukrainian military purportedly showing a Turkish drone striking against Russian forces in the Kherson region (Facebook/@CinCAFU)
Par MEE staff

Ukraine's military on Sunday published a video that it claims shows a Turkish armed drone carrying out strikes against Russian forces.

The aerial footage of the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone being used in Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion appears to be the first-ever footage of a TB2 in action.

The video, published on the Facebook page of the Ukraine forces' commander-in-chief, described the strike as having taken place in the "Chornobayivka, Kherson region", in southern Ukraine. The caption read "welcome to hell!".

One Twitter user claimed to have geolocated the widely-shared video and identified its location as the Kherson International Airport.

News website Visegrad24 reported that the news came "on the 2nd anniversary of the Russian Baylun attack in Syria that killed 34 Turkish soldiers". 

The Turkish embassy in Ukraine described the strike on Twitter as "revenge" for the Baylun attack, adding: "There is such a thing as divine justice."

Kyiv says it's has been using Turkish drones to strike Russia's invading forces. 

On Saturday Ukraine's embassy in Turkey said that Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian military convoy in the southern city of Kherson using TB2 drones. Accompanying the post was a video purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike.

Earlier this month, Ukraine and Turkey signed a series of agreements, including a deal that would expand the production capabilities of Turkish drone-maker Baykar in Ukraine.

Russia-Ukraine war: Turkish drones 'strike invading troops'
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Its drones were deployed last year in Kyiv's war against Russian-backed separatists in its eastern Donbas region.

"[The] defence industry and aviation are the main driving force for our strategic partnership," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters at the time.

"Baykar will expand its production of unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine, and Ukraine will strengthen its defence capabilities with these new technologies and jobs."

Following the signing of the deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has a close but sometimes fraught relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated Ankara's support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

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