MOSCOW, July 9. /TASS/. A Lancet loitering munition crew, operating in free-hunting mode, have destroyed about 20 pieces of Ukrainian military equipment in the Dobropolye area, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"Servicemen of a Lancet loitering munition crew from the Battlegroup Center’s unmanned systems troops destroyed during combat operations in free-hunting mode about 20 pieces of military equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces along the line of contact and behind enemy lines in the Dobropolye area," the statement reads.

The targets hit included a Bogdana self-propelled gun, a T-62 tank, and armored combat vehicles transporting Ukrainian troops and ammunition to the front lines.

Lancet operators independently identify high-priority targets using data from Zala reconnaissance UAV crews and data recorders. After detecting and classifying an object, the loitering munition is guided to the target in semi-automatic mode and hits it.

The ministry also commended the crew of a T-72B3M tank from the 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment, which destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot from a sheltered fire position in the Dnepropetrovsk area.