“On 02 September, at approximately 09:00 the Russian drone ‘Kartograf’ disappeared in the sky above Mykolaiv by the Air Force’s anti-aircraft missile unit. The drone is part of the Ptero multipurpose unmanned system family. ” the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post, according to an English translation. AN ENEMY UAV CRASHED Almost daily, the Rashi attempt to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the south of the country, actively using operational-tactical level UAVs of various modifications. Yes, September 2nd, about… Kartograf is a type of aircraft with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system, which is often used to help adjust or organize artillery or missile fire, the Ukrainian Military Center said, adding that Russian forces are trying to conduct aerial reconnaissance in southern Ukraine. Russian troops lost ground during Ukraine’s recent counter-offensive in the Russian-held Kherson region, according to British Defense Service maps. Compared to a map from August 26, several days before the Kherson effort was announced, an area of disputed territory on the Kherson front has increased in size. Although a small change, this disputed territory has been noticeably expanded into territory controlled by Russia. Ukraine’s defense ministry said on Friday that its forces had shot down more than 853 Russian drones, 234 jets and 205 helicopters since the start of the war on February 24. In the photo above, Ukrainian soldiers sit in an infantry fighting vehicle driving on a road in the Donetsk region on August 18. The Ukrainian Air Force on Friday shot down a Russian reconnaissance drone named “Kartograf” in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region. Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images A Ukrainian brigade said in July it shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet in the Donetsk region using a short-range man-portable air defense system. “Another enemy Su-25 is finished,” the brigade, which is an airborne formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, said on its Facebook page. Also in July, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced that its forces shot down a $16 million Russian combat helicopter. The Ka-52 helicopter is one of Russia’s most powerful helicopters, capable of detecting and attacking any targets and providing direct support to troops on the ground. “Ukrainian fighters of the 25th Parachute Brigade shot down a Russian Ka-52 combat helicopter with MANPADS ‘Igla’,” the Ministry of Defense tweeted at the time. “The Ka-52 is worth about $16 million.” The report did not specify what weapons were used to bring down the helicopter or where the incident occurred. Additionally, in June, Ukrainian troops shot down a massive Russian helicopter that ended up going up in flames in a field. Images of the strike were obtained by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, along with a brief statement saying: “In the Donetsk region, Ukrainian territorial defense fighters shot down the Russian Mi-35M military helicopter.” Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
