Multiple reports describe video footage from Ukraine showing a Yak-52 aircraft engaged in an aerial shootdown of a Russian drone. The footage depicts a pilot flying in the cockpit while a second crew member sits in the open back seat and uses a rifle to fire at an incoming target. The target is described as a Shahed-type drone, which is commonly used by Russia for long-range strikes. The accounts state that the backseat gunner aims from the open cockpit area and fires at the drone as it is approached.
The Daily Mail reports the incident as part of a broader pattern of long-range drone activity and renewed strike attempts associated with Russia’s campaign, framing the shootdown as one of several counter-drone actions reported during this period. Across the available material provided here, the key shared elements are the use of a Yak-52, the presence of a backseat shooter in an open cockpit position, and the claimed destruction or successful interception of a Shahed drone using small-arms fire rather than an onboard missile system. The reports do not include independent verification details beyond the displayed video.
