"After the people's militia neutralized it, and after its flight path and combat load were studied, it was determined that the aircraft was heading toward the city of Luhansk to carry out a terrorist act," Andrei Marochko said at a briefing.
The unmanned aircraft, which carried two improvised explosives, was taken down near the city of Debaltseve, he added, noting that the drone was taking the same path as Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission drones and was set to target civilians in Luhansk.
ЛНР. Народная милиция принудительно посадила беспилотник ВСУ с 3кг. тротила, летевший в Луганск для совершения теракта. pic.twitter.com/4JzHmf4ruI
— иван львовскiй (@lvov80) 25 сентября 2016 г.
"The power of the explosives is equivalent to three kilograms TNT…We have recorded cases of Ukrainian combat drones flying along routes used by OSCE unmanned aircraft, thus posing a danger to the mission's drones," Marochko said.
Kiev launched a military operation in Ukraine’s southeast in April 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the new Ukrainian authorities, which came to power as a result of a coup.
In February 2015, a peace agreement was signed between Ukraine’s conflicting sides in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Though the deal stipulated a full ceasefire in Donbass, the both sides have violated the truce multiple times.
