Unidentified drone crashes in Minsk after being downed by Belarusian forces
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from Belarus's Investigative Committee.
A drone flying over the Belarusian capital was intercepted and brought down early on July 29, according to the country's Defense Ministry.
Belarusian independent media outlet Zerkalo, citing local residents, reported that the drone crashed into an apartment building and then struck a parked car.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry said air defense forces detected the unmanned aerial vehicle around 2 a.m. local time and brought it down using electronic warfare systems.
The drone reportedly crashed at 2:33 a.m. in northwestern Minsk. No injuries were reported.
Footage reviewed by Zerkalo captured the sound of a buzzing drone, followed by a loud explosion and the sound of debris hitting the ground. Witnesses said police arrived more than 20 minutes after the blast and quickly cleared the area.
Belarus's Investigative Committee said the drone was carrying a warhead filled with trinitrotoluene (TNT) and numerous metal ball projectiles.
Photos released by the Belarusian Defense Ministry show remnants of the destroyed drone but do not identify its model or origin. The ministry said it has implemented additional airspace security measures following the incident.
Belarus’s military confirmed in September 2024 that a drone had been downed over its territory for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, and multiple cases of Belarus shooting down stray Russian drones have been reported since.
The July 29 crash marks the first time the Belarusian Defense Ministry described an incident of this kind in the capital with such detail.
On July 28, an unidentified drone entered Lithuanian airspace, likely coming from Belarus. The incidents raise new concerns about the nation's airspace security.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994 and remains a key ally of the Kremlin. His regime has allowed Russian troops and equipment to use Belarusian territory to attack Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
