A Russian FPV drone operator searching for logistics targets near Druzhkovka unexpectedly spotted a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank moving across open ground and attacked it twice. The serviceman, identified by the call sign Mordvin, described the operation in a video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Mordvin, a senior drone operator with the 4th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of Russia’s Southern Group of Forces, said the tank had not been among the targets assigned to his crew. He came across the vehicle by chance while operating a Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky drone.

The tank was moving across a field when Mordvin launched the first strike. The vehicle remained mobile and managed to reach a wooded area, but the operator located it again and carried out a second attack. In his assessment, the tank was no longer able to move after the second hit.

The operator identified the vehicle as a Soviet-made tank without additional protection. He said it was moving in the open and that its crew appeared not to expect an attack.

Mordvin also said FPV drone crews had recently destroyed around eight Baba-Yaga heavy hexacopters, two tanks, several pickup trucks, ground robotic systems and quad bikes. Altogether, he put the number of various pieces of equipment destroyed over a two-week period at about 20.

The crews also target Ukrainian UAV control posts. According to Mordvin, these strikes force opposing drone teams to operate farther from the front line, reducing the distance over which their unmanned aircraft can operate.