Video Shows Portable Russian Drone Interceptor Striking Ukrainian UAV

A video showing a portable military system intercepting a drone has circulated widely on social media in recent weeks. Euronews reported that the device is the Yolka drone interceptor, an unmanned aerial vehicle developed in Russia and used by Russian forces to counter Ukrainian drones during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

David Bacci, senior researcher in aerodynamics at the University of Oxford, stated the Yolka is a lightweight, portable interceptor designed to be operated by a single person.

He said the operator launches it similarly to a rocket, it reaches a maximum speed of around 200 km/h, weighs less than two kilograms and relies first on an electro-optical guidance system before switching to infrared guidance in the terminal phase.

Bacci added that the system has an operational range of less than five kilometres and destroys targets through direct impact rather than detonation because it carries no warhead. On 18 March, Sergei "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, outlined further characteristics on Telegram.

He stated the Yolka can only operate during daylight hours, cannot function effectively in rain and sees performance deterioration in high-contrast cloud conditions or under direct bright sunlight. Geert De Cubber, a research engineer at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, said the explosion visible in the footage is more likely caused by the explosives carried by the targeted Ukrainian drone.

He noted that interceptor drones have become an increasingly important counter-drone tool on both sides of the war, though videos online show only successful interceptions.