Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday brushed aside Western criticism of Kiev using a Turkish-made drone in its conflict with pro-Moscow rebels, saying his country was "defending its territory."

The Ukrainian army this week released footage of what it said was its first use of the Turkish-made TB2 Bayraktar drone against separatists in the east of the country, where it has been fighting a trench conflict since 2014.

France and Germany -- both mediators of the conflict -- criticised the move.

"Ukraine is defending its territory and its sovereignty," Zelensky said in a statement published by his office.

"We do not attack, we only respond," he said.

On Thursday, France said it was "concerned" by the use of the Bayraktar drone and by the "increasingly frequent use of heavy weaponry" that violate a ceasefire.

A spokeswoman for Germany's foreign ministry has also criticised the move, according to the Ukrinform news agency.

The US embassy in Kiev called on both sides of the conflict to respect a ceasefire agreement, while saying that the separatists have also used this type of weapon.

"Official Russian rhetoric suggesting Ukraine is aggravating the situation is not only misleading, it serves to escalate tensions," the embassy said in a statement on Facebook.

The Kremlin had warned Wednesday that the use of the Turkish-made drones could escalate the conflict.

The introduction of the drone is a potential game-changer in the years-long war.

Turkey's sale of the unmanned aircraft to Kiev complicates its ties with Russia, which has thrown its political weight behind the Ukraine separatists.

International monitors in eastern Ukraine, who use unmanned aircraft to report ceasefire violations, have recently said their drones were being jammed.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine, which erupted shortly after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to bolster the separatists, claims Moscow denies.

ant-oc/dl

FACEBOOK

Related Links
UAV News - Suppliers and Technology

Tweet

Senior al-Qaeda leader killed in US drone strike in Syria: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) Oct 23, 2021
A senior al-Qaeda leader was killed in a US drone strike in Syria, the Pentagon said Friday. The strike comes two days after a base in southern Syria, used by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, was assaulted. "A US airstrike today in northwest Syria killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar," said Central Command spokesman Army Major John Rigsbee in a statement. There were no known casualties from the strike, he said, adding it was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraf ... read more