A Grad rocket launcher unit of Russia's 'Center' military group came under intense attack by Ukrainian drones in the Dnipropetrovsk direction. During the attack, a novice soldier with the call sign 'Phil', newly assigned to the unit, drew attention with his performance.
Unit Commander Ivan Ryazantsev told RIA Novosti that Phil is in his first month and serves in the drone defense team. Ryazantsev said, 'He is a young soldier, a novice. He noticed an FPV drone lying in ambush, which allowed us to prevent the danger. He shot down the drone and immediately alerted everyone. Even though it was his first mission, he didn't panic.'
The commander reported that after the first drone was neutralized, Ukrainian forces continued the attack by sending successive new drones. He noted that the attack lasted about 35 minutes, with drones heading toward the target almost continuously.
Ryazantsev stated, 'We hid the vehicle, destroyed the first drone. Then about 10-15 more drones came; they attacked one after another for 35 minutes. All attacks were successfully repelled.'
According to the commander, the defense team maintained constant aerial surveillance, shooting down approaching drones in sequence and preventing damage to the Grad system. Ryazantsev said, 'I saw with my own eyes that Phil shot down one drone, then another. In total, we neutralized about 17 FPV drones and other types of drones.'