Sergei Grits/AP
Belarus scrambled fighter jets to down Russian Shahed drones over its territory on Thursday, according to reports.
Two Shahed attack drones entered Belarus’ southeastern Gomel district neighboring Ukraine and Russia at around 1 a.m., according to the Belarusian Hajun Project, an independent military monitoring outlet.
Belarus deployed fighter jets from its Baranovichi air base at around 1:30 a.m., 2:20 a.m., and at 3:10 a.m., the outlet said on Telegram.
Близько 1.00 два ударні дрони «Шахед» залетіли у Гомельську область Білорусі з Чернігівської області pic.twitter.com/A0d3QJ0Yve
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) September 4, 2024
“Shaheds are being shot down in the Gomel region — explosions are heard,” the Hajun Project said.
It published a video purportedly showing Shahed drones “burning and falling in the sky over Gomel.”
Newsweek could not immediately verify the reports and has contacted the Belarusian foreign ministry for comment.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.