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Ukraine's first Bayraktar TB2 strike in Donbas
Summary
A look back at the day Ukraine confirmed its first drone strike with the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, and at the losses on the ground near Hranitne.
What did it mean when Ukraine confirmed its first combat use of an armed drone in the war in Donbas? On 26 October 2021, Ukraine said it had carried out its first strikes with the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, destroying a D-30 howitzer belonging to pro-Russian separatists.
The confirmation concerned a single piece of artillery, but it marked the first reported use of this type of drone by Ukraine in the conflict. The TB2 is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, a category of weapon that, as of 2019, a number of countries had already fielded, Ukraine among them.
The same day brought a reminder of the fighting that continued on the ground. A Ukrainian soldier was killed and another wounded by rebel artillery near Hranitne in Donetsk Oblast.
Taken together, the two reports showed both sides of the confrontation on 26 October 2021: Ukraine adding a new tool to its arsenal, and its troops still coming under artillery fire along the front line in Donetsk Oblast.
