(MENAFN) Russian air defense troops successfully intercepted and destroyed several Ukrainian drones using assault rifles during an attack on a freight train in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, RT has reported. A soldier involved in the defense operation explained that drone operators detected a Ukrainian UAV signal, relayed its location and targets to the air defense unit, which then took up positions and engaged the drones with gunfire.

Footage provided by the military shows a large black drone flying low before exploding midair after being hit. A second drone was also shot down in the same way. In total, Russian troops destroyed six drones during the incident, including four larger UAVs, preventing any from reaching their target and allowing the freight train to leave safely, according to a soldier nicknamed ‘Dushman.’

The event occurred near Tokmak in the Zaporozhye Region, where Ukrainian drones have increasingly targeted trains and gas stations, putting civilians at risk. On the same day, officials in the Volgograd Region reported Ukrainian drone attacks had disrupted passenger rail services and caused a power outage overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that 61 fixed-wing drones were downed during the raid, with about half intercepted over the Black Sea and Voronezh Region.

Kiev describes its drone operations as efforts to pressure Moscow into agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire, while Russian authorities accuse Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, insisting their own strikes focus solely on military objectives.

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