A video published by Russia's Top War military news site on 22/8 shows a Ukrainian Yak-52 trainer aircraft chasing a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over a residential area in Odessa province. The Russian UAV continuously circled, while the Yak-52 closely followed but did not attack.
"Despite efforts by the Ukrainian pilot, the Geran aircraft maneuvered, changed its flight path, and repeatedly escaped the shooter's sights on the enemy aircraft. It is notable that Ukrainian forces frequently attempt to shoot down UAVs over apartment buildings, disregarding civilian safety", Top War stated.
Ukrainian Yak-52 aircraft pursuing a Russian UAV in Odessa province on 22/8. Video: Top War, X/bayraktar_1love
Bayraktar_1love, a social media account supporting the Ukrainian military, presented a different interpretation of the event. The account claimed direct communication with the Yak-52 pilot involved, who reportedly said the "Russian UAV was already damaged from an interceptor drone hit", rendering it unable to fly straight and forcing it to circle.
"The Yak-52 crew tracked but did not attack, as the UAV had entered the city and was not an immediate significant threat warranting opening fire over a densely populated area. After being carried further by the wind, it was shot down by ground fire", Bayraktar_1love stated, adding that it was a Gerbera foam plastic UAV, not a Geran model.
The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian military have not commented on the video.
The Yak-52 primary trainer aircraft was developed and manufactured by the Soviet Union between 1978 and 1998 to provide basic aviation knowledge for cadet pilots. The aircraft features a two-person cockpit, a maximum speed of 285 km/h, and a cruising speed of 190 km/h.
Ukraine reportedly began deploying Yak-52 aircraft for missions to counter Russian UAVs in 2024. In these missions, the pilot maneuvers the aircraft close to enemy UAVs, allowing a shooter to engage the target with infantry weapons. Sometimes, pilots fly so close that they can use the Yak-52's wings to deflect the UAVs.
A shooter on a Ukrainian Yak-52 aircraft shooting down a Russian UAV in a video posted in July. Video: United24 Media
Serhii Beskrestnov, an electronic warfare expert and advisor to the Ukrainian President, stated in June that Russia had developed a Geran "Siker" UAV variant with automatic recognition capability, allowing it to lock onto targets and autonomously strike targets. The most common of these is the Geran-4 model, which uses a jet engine.
The Geran Seeker also features multiple cameras operating in different modes, uses a mesh WiFi modem to establish a communication network, and allows operators to remotely control the aircraft, rather than just flying along pre-programmed waypoints.
Ihor Shkilnyi, a volunteer and founder of the Zampotech charity fund supporting the Ukrainian military, stated in July that Russia had equipped its Gerbera UAVs with an inertial navigation system, a Kometa-M anti-jamming satellite navigation antenna, as well as an optical camera and a mesh WiFi modem, similar to those found on the Geran Seeker series.
Pham Giang (According to Top War, NV, Militarnyi)
