MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. Small-size reconnaissance drones dubbed Binokl (Binocular) have begun arriving for Russian troops in the special military operation zone in Ukraine, a spokesman for the drone manufacturer told TASS on Tuesday.

The latest drones produced by the Russian tech firm Syomka s vozdukha are two to three times cheaper than the Chinese DJI Mavic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) actively employed in combat operations, company spokesman Dmitry Zubarev said.

The Russian drone is outfitted with a compact thermal imager capable of ferreting out enemy forces and capabilities in any time of the day or night and also has a grenade-dropping capability.

"The deliveries of these Binokl drones have begun. These drones can operate both day and night and the contracts have already been signed. There are few of our devices there [in the special military operation zone] but their number is gradually increasing," he said, specifying that the deliveries involved several dozen UAVs.

The Binokl drone was unveiled at the Aeronet 2035 exhibition in Moscow in November.