Combat footage shows Ukrainian F-16 destroying Russian attack drone - video

The video earlier circulated on social media, prompting speculation about whether it was authentic.

“This is not AI-generated footage," Air Force wrote.

"This is a real Ukrainian pilot flying an F-16 and destroying an enemy Shahed drone over Ukraine. This is far from the first such interception.”

"The pilot destroyed the drone using the aircraft’s onboard cannon," the military added.

“The video comes from social media. The author is unknown — but the pilot is ours.”

On Feb. 7, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said that in a recent overnight Russian attack, Ukraine’s defenders were unable to rely on manned aviation because of difficult weather conditions.

As a result, Ukrainian forces depended on other air defense assets. Ihnat said surface-to-air missile systems destroyed 24 Russian missiles during the attack.

He stressed that interceptor drones, like combat aircraft, require favorable weather conditions but can, in some situations, destroy even more enemy drones than mobile fire groups.