A Kalashnikov tank machine gun can engage most drones encountered by mobile fire teams in their area of operations, according to a BARS-Kursk machine gunner serving with Russia’s Sever troop grouping.

The serviceman, known by the call sign Maslyak, estimated that the weapon is suitable for destroying 80–85% of such targets and has fully proven itself in combat conditions, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

In Kursk Region, BARS-Kursk mobile fire teams remain on round-the-clock air defense duty. Their task is to detect and destroy Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in time while shielding populated areas from enemy air attacks.

Mobility is a key part of their work. The Russian Defense Ministry said the crews can quickly move to areas where a threat emerges, engage aerial targets and then leave their firing position within seconds before relocating elsewhere.

This approach allows the teams to maintain their effectiveness as the enemy continuously tries to identify weak points in the air defense system.