MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Russia is employing laser weapons in its special operation in Ukraine, in particular, the Zadira laser system capable of striking targets at a range of 5 km, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said in a live broadcast on TV Channel One on Wednesday.

"They [laser weapon systems] have begun arriving [for the army]. The first types are already being employed [in Russia’s special military operation]," the vice premier said, adding that the system was dubbed Zadira.

The latest Zadira laser weapon is more powerful than the Peresvet system, which is capable of blinding reconnaissance satellites at a distance of 1,500 km, he elaborated.

The Zadira is focused on physically destroying an object at a distance of up to 5 km and it literally burns through a target by its thermal impact. This system is capable of "easily shooting down various types of drones, avoiding expending costly missiles of the Pantsyr and Tor types," the vice premier explained.