The report came from from press-office of Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Khortytsia Operational Group of troops, which confirmed that the russian drone was detected and intercepted by warriors of the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 45th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
To intercept the target, Ukrainian forces deployed their own drones. The kill was successfully executed by a UAV operator from the 45th Brigade, while personnel from the 63rd Brigade recorded the moment of interception from the air.
Read more: How Border Guard from Colombia Defends Ukraine (Video)
According to Ukrainian soldiers, the Merlin-VR is believed to be the most expensive reconnaissance drone currently in russia’s arsenal. The system reportedly costs over $300,000 and can operate for up to 10 hours, covering distances of up to 600 kilometers in either fully automated or semi-automated mode.
The 63rd Brigade later shared footage of the interception on their official account on Facebook:
Ukrainian troops destroyed a russian Merlin-VR reconnaissance UAV on the Lyman axis. Its cost exceeds $300,000 pic.twitter.com/INcJyC7i0g
— DEFENSE EXPRESS (@DEFENSEEXPRESS) April 9, 2025
Merlin-VR is a russian hybrid experimental reconnaissance drone that russians call a "technological breakthrough" because of its alleged silence, improved optics, and range.
The developer claims that the device has a hybrid engine, which gives "low acoustic visibility". But the drone that was shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in early June 2022 no hybrid technology was found in the drone, only a conventional engine. The vehicle was also equipped with French-made Lynred (Ulis) PICO1024 thermal imaging matrices and an ordinary plastic bottle instead of a fuel tank, probably to make production cheaper.
As Defense Express reported, earlier Ukrainian forces targeted rare russian Tirada-2 electronic warfare system. We also wrote, that Ukrainian forces took out russian turtle tank with a precision strike.
Read more: The Achilles Regiment Unveils Covert Operation: Operators Destroy russian Pantsir Systems (Video)
