Kiev uses drones purchased by Ankara for the first time, ‘separatist artillery post destroyed’

Ukraine used Bayraktar Tb2k drones purchased from Turkey and delivered to Kiev last July in a combat operation. In the raids, pro-Russian artillery positions in the east of the country were destroyed, the Ministry of Defense said. Forces in Kiev accused the separatists of wounding one soldier and killing another from the destroyed post near the city of Hranitne which is on the front line. “The drone was used to force the enemy to cease fire. Subsequently, the bombing of the Ukrainian positions stopped”, explains the general staff in Kiev. Separatists from the Luhansk region accused Ukraine of using drones in violation of ceasefire agreements. Ukraine intends to purchase a total of 50 Bayraktar Tb2 drones from Turkey. Weapons systems have already been used against pro-Russian militias in Syria and Libya and Nagorno Karabakh in last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Last September, Kiev and Ankara signed a memorandum to establish a training center for the use of drones in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister then announced the upcoming opening of a plant for the production of drones.