A sniper of the 3rd Company of the Materik Battalion shot down an enemy drone with a .308 caliber rifle in the Kharkiv region.

The Operational Tactical Group Kharkiv released the video of the incident.

According to reports, the Ukrainian sniper fired at the UAV with a .308 caliber rifle in the Vovchansk sector.

According to the video, it took him only a few shots to hit the Russian Mavic drone, which was conducting reconnaissance or coordinating the actions of Russian invaders.

It should be noted that the Russians could have also used the enemy drone to drop ammunition on Ukrainian positions. Therefore, shooting it down is very important for many reasons.

As seen in the video, after the Mavic drone was hit, one of its propellers flew off, after which the UAV lost its ability to fly and fell.

The Operational Tactical Group Kharkiv noted that the fight against enemy drones using electronic warfare (EW) systems and anti-drone guns is not always effective.

This is due to the fact that the enemy constantly changes frequencies, and its pilots are becoming more experienced in drone control.

“But the .308 caliber doesn’t care about those frequencies. In the skilled hands of the sniper with the call sign ‘Mielkyi,’ the rifle fires bullets, and the enemy Mavics fall,” the statement noted.

Fighting drones

It should be noted that currently, one of the mandatory stages in military training is shooting at moving targets, which simulate both regular and FPV drones. Since November 1 of last year, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine implemented a new basic military training program in all Ukrainian Ground Forces training centers, which was extended from 30 to 45 days.

As part of the updated basic general military training program, new recruits have started learning methods to counter enemy strike drones, including exercises in camouflage and self-defense using pump-action shotguns.

In October 2024, the SAFARI HG-105 semi-automatic shotgun was codified for use in the military. The weapon is designed to shoot down enemy drones. The weapon is designed to use 12-gauge ammunition with a magazine capacity of 5 or 10 rounds. The rifle weighs a bit over 4 kilograms.