Donetsk, Sep 21 - DAN. Donetsk People’s Republic servicemen have shot down sixteen Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) since the beginning of this month, DPR Operations Command deputy commander Eduard Basurin said on Friday.
“We are recording the increasing use of UAVs by the enemy along the whole contact line,” Basurin said. “The DPR standby anti-aircraft forces have downed 16 enemy UAVs since the beginning of this month.”
He added that the DPR militia had detected more than 20 UAVs last week used by the Ukrainian forces to obtain intelligence on military and civilian facilities and adjust mortar fire.
“We note Kiev gunmen’s attempt on September 18 to use a jury-rigged UAV for dropping bombs. That unit was destroyed by a DPR anti-aircraft crew in the Gorlovka area," Basurin said.
Such UAVs are used by ISIS militants to carry out terrorist attacks. “Apparently, (Ukrainian joint forces commander Sergey) Nayev will report to (chief of the General Staff Viktor) Muzhenko in the near future about the readiness to employ suicide attackers or jihad mobiles,” he said.
Employing combat aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in 30km-wide zone along the line of contact is banned under Article 7 of Minsk Memorandum dated September 19, 2014, with the exception to OSCE SMM UAVs. Contrary to the agreement, Ukrainian forces regularly use UAVs for aerial reconnaissance and fire adjustment.*jk