The drone, initially thought to be a Russian UAV, was brought down by a missile over the center of the city.
The Ukrainian military shot down one of its own Bayraktar TB2 drones over Kyiv yesterday evening, May 4, 2023. According to a statement later released by the Ukrainian Air Force, the TB2 was on a scheduled flight when control over it was lost and it was decided to shoot it down “since the uncontrolled presence of UAVs in the sky of the capital could lead to undesirable consequences”.
The incident happened around at 20:00 (17:00 GMT), with air defenses shooting at the drone for 15-20 minutes before successfully taking it down. Before the Ukrainian Air Force released the statement, photos and videos started circulating online, with many arguing if it was an episode of friendly fire, with Ukrainian troops mistakenly firing on their own drone, or if the drone brought down was a Russian Korsar UAV, which is very similar in appearance to the TB2.
#Ukraine: A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 UCAV was shot down by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile over Kyiv in an example of friendly fire. pic.twitter.com/r9m11PfXND
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 4, 2023
Officials said they are investigating how they lost control over the drone. “It’s a pity, but this is technology, and such cases happen,” the statement said. “It is probably a technical malfunction, the reasons are being established.”
— Abraxas Spa (@AbraxasSpa) May 4, 2023
According to reports, both missiles and small arms fire were employed to shoot at the drone, which did not appear to carry weapons. The crash of the TB2 caused some fires, which officials said were quickly put out and no one was injured or killed in the process.
Stefano D’Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he’s also studying to achieve a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Electronic Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.
