Reports: Bayraktar Combat Drone Played Role In Sinking Russian Warship

Russia is offering a 50,000 ruble reward for each destroyed Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, according to social media reports.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 05:29 PM ET

Verified

Tactical armed unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone, are playing a critical role in Ukraine's fight. [Courtesy: OE Data Integration Network]

Key Takeaways:

The Russian Black Sea flagship, the *Moskva*, was sunk by Ukrainian Neptune missiles, a claim confirmed by a U.S. defense official despite Russian reports of a fire and storm.
Initial reports suggested a Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone distracted the *Moskva*'s air defenses, though this specific claim was later largely dismissed as unlikely by defense analysts.
Despite the disputed role in the *Moskva*'s sinking, Bayraktar TB2 combat drones are a vital force multiplier and symbol of Ukrainian resistance, highly effective against Russian ground targets, and are subject to Russian bounties.

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A 1,500-pound combat drone was an integral part of an operation that allowed Ukrainian forces to sink the Soviet-era missile destroyer Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea flagship, last week, according to reports.

At least one Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone operated by Ukrainian forces was involved in the operation when it was used to distract the Russian war ship’s air defenses, Forbes reported.