Video appears to show Ukrainians shooting down Russian cruise missile or drone

A video appears to show Ukrainian personnel celebrating after hitting a Russian aerial target with a shoulder-launched weapon.

The footage was released by the Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces on Monday afternoon and they said it depicted a Ukrainian MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defence System) operator hitting a Russian missile.

It is thought using a MANPADS to hit a Russian missile is not only unusual but also extremely difficult. 

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The original video has been viewed more than 290,000 times.

The missile system used in the video is believed to be a Polish-made Piorun or Grom shoulder-launched heat-seeking air defence missile. It could also be an older Russian Igla variant.

The target is thought to be a Russian cruise missile or kamikaze drone.

As the target flies overhead, Ukrainian personnel can be heard shooting at it, before another air defence missile launches in the background and then an operator is seen firing, causing missile trails that are visible at the end of the video.

The missile operator tracks the overflying target through his sight, aiming to get a thermal lock on it. He appears to quickly find the lock, then fires the missile which chases the target following the thermal signature from its exhaust. 

As the missile is a fire-and-forget system, the operator has no further involvement once he has fired. This method is different from a British MANPAD system such as Starstreak or Martlet, which requires an operator to highlight the target with a laser throughout the missile's flight.

Watch: Devastation after missile strikes on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia.

It is believed the Ukrainian air defence team was fortunate that the target flew directly overhead, which appears to have made it easier for the missile to lock onto the target's thermal signature.

The air defence missile may also have had a proximity fuse, which would have meant it only needed to get close to the target to explode.

It is thought the air defence missile likely had a speed of Mach 2, or around 1,500mph.

Russian cruise missiles vary in their speed throughout flight, but could be as low as Mach 0.8, or around 600 mph, which is why the air defence missile was able to catch the target.