This is the moment a Ukrainian soldier shot down Russia's Shahed attack drones with a rifle from the open cockpit of a propeller plane.The aircraft is flown by a pilot in the front cockpit, while a second crew member engages low-flying drones from the open rear cockpit. Dramatic video footage shows the soldier taking aim at the unmanned aerial vehicle before unleashing gunfire.The drone proceeds to erupt in flames before descending into the sea as black smoke trails into the sky.Other footage shows a drone crashing into a field and exploding after being directly struck.The clips, reportedly recorded over the Odesa region, were released by Ukraine’s 11th Separate Army Aviation Brigade known as 'Kherson'.The brigade identified the pilot as Stanislav, who described the feeling of completing air defence missions in an interview with Ukrainian outlet Censor.NET.'The best feelings, after completing a combat mission, are not experienced in the sky,' he said. This is the moment a Ukrainian soldier shot down Russia's Shahed attack drones with a rifle from the open cockpit of a propeller plane Dramatic video footage shows the soldier taking aim at the unmanned aerial vehicle before unleashing gunfire Other footage shows a drone crashing into a field and exploding after being directly struck'The true realisation comes when you return to the home airfield and see a clear sky, and hear over the radio: there are no more aerial targets. That is when you feel satisfaction and peace.'The mission was conducted from within a Yak-52, a Soviet-designed, two-seat piston-engine trainer aircraft originally built to train military pilots. It was later adapted by Kyiv for counter-drone operations.Ukrainian forces have also adapted Mil Mi-8 'Hip' transport helicopters armed with machine guns to hunt and destroy Russian drones. Video released in August 2024 showed a gunner engaging and shooting down a Russian Shahed-136 attack drone.More than 390 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, the Russian capital's mayor said Tuesday, hours before Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.'Between 8.30pm (5.30pm GMT) and 6.30am, more than 390 drones were flying towards the Moscow region. 'Most were neutralised by air defence forces well before reaching the city. 81 enemy UAVs were destroyed as they approached Moscow,' Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.However, the Russian defence ministry later said that a total of 356 Ukrainian drones had been downed over more than a dozen regions, including near the capital.Neither the defence ministry or Sobyanin explained the discrepancy.Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov also reported that drone attacks damaged housing in the town of Chekhov and the Vaulovo village.There were no immediate reports of any damage.Ukraine has been ramping up its long-range counter-attacks on Russian energy, logistics and military sites - a campaign Kyiv calls fair retaliation for Moscow's nightly barrages on its cities. This photo taken from a video released by Russian Investigative Committee shows what the committee said was the scene of a recreation centre, that the Kremlin said was damaged during a Ukrainian attack in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine on July 25 A passenger plane flies past smoke rising from a warehouse for a Russian e-commerce giant near Saint Petersburg after being hit by Ukrainian drones early on July 24 This photograph shows a petrol station destroyed in an air attack in the town of Izium, in the eastern Kharkiv region, on July 27The Ukrainian leader has warned that Putin is preparing to launch a new wave of military mobilisation following Russia’s parliamentary elections in September.Zelensky claimed the Kremlin leader is aiming to draft up to 500,000 troops to sustain his invasion. 'Putin is not ready to stop this war,' Zelensky warned in an interview with Sky News, citing intelligence reports that indicate Moscow plans to launch a covert call-up following the September 21 State Duma elections. President Trump and Zelensky will meet Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral, marking their second sit-down this month.It comes after a far-right activist with the US president's ear had a widely publicised change of heart on Russia's war against Ukraine.Trump is set to welcome Zelensky to the White House as the Ukrainian leader travels to Washington to honour Graham, whose final act as a public official was visiting Kyiv and securing an agreement on a package of sanctions that seek to punish countries that purchase Russian oil, gas and other exports.But Zelensky is now being bolstered by an unusual source: Laura Loomer, known primarily for her incendiary social media posts and her influence with the president. Travelling through Ukraine, Loomer has witnessed Moscow's barrage firsthand and interviewed Zelensky while admitting she was 'bamboozled by Russian propaganda'.Loomer said she spoke to Trump after she met with Zelensky in Ukraine last week, and she also expects to meet with the US president once she returns from her trip. 'It's looking good for Ukraine, right?' Loomer said during an interview with The Associated Press. 'Going into this meeting next week at the Oval Office is looking pretty good.'Ahead of the meeting, Zelensky has also warned that Russia has been aiding the Islamic Republic as the war persists by capturing satellite imagery of US bases in the Gulf region that later appear in Iran. The Ukrainian president also asserted that there was a 'clear correlation' between Russia's images and subsequent Iranian strikes.'The purpose is clear,' Zelensky said earlier this month. 'None of us in the world should turn a blind eye to one very simple fact: Evil always seeks ways to make things worse and spread further.'On Monday, Trump downplayed any impact of potential Russian assistance for Iran.'I don't think they've been doing it, certainly not at a high level,' Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he travelled to Michigan. 'And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.'Still, he said he would raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Zelensky has a busy itinerary during his latest visit to Washington. In addition to his White House meeting, Zelensky will head to the Capitol to meet with senators on Tuesday evening after Graham's funeral at Washington National Cathedral, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who was not authorised to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.Republican leadership is hoping to advance Graham's sanctions legislation this week, although the Senate is juggling several other priorities before lawmakers leave Washington for the August recess.The bill has dozens of backers from both parties and is seen as the main policy tribute to Graham, who died unexpectedly this month from a tear in his aorta. It imposes tariffs on goods from the world's top five purchasers of Russia oil or natural gas, including China and India.The legislation also includes sanctions against Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, and Russian financial institutions and energy projects. Trump met with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, and announced that the US will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defence systems, a long-running request from Kyiv in order to counter Russian missile attacks.The air defence systems are expensive to make and are in high demand. Noting that he and Zelensky have 'actually developed a good relationship,' Trump said the US will help Ukraine produce the Patriots and that the country would be able to produce them 'pretty quickly'.