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forces are using aÌýdrone of Israeli originÌýin its invasion ofÌý, defence specialists have reported.

The Russian-made Forpost is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) derived from the IsraeliÌýSearcher II UAV,Ìýfirst developed in the 1980s.

Russia acquired the licence to produce the dronesÌýfrom in 2015.

The deployment of the UAVÌýwas picked up lastÌýweek when images of a downed Russian drone which carriedÌýthe logo of the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) surfaced online .

A Russian licensed copy of the IAI Searcher known as Forpost was shot down in Zhytomyr region today.

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical)

The Israeli-origin drone has reportedly also been used by Russian forces in Syria to help prop up Ìýagainst the opposition.

The Forpost appears to be an answer to Ukraine's more effectiveÌý drone which has reportedly been devastating for theÌýRussians – so much so that the Ukrainian armed forces have made a song in its celebration.

The use of Israeli defence equipment by the Russians is a sensitive issue considering that Kyiv’s requests for military assistance from Tel Aviv have been rebuffed.

At the time, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said that Israel its Western alliesÌýstandard in providing defensive weapons to Ukraine.

Israel has only condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine under pressure from its western allies and could emerge as a mediator between MoscowÌýand Kyiv.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet is the only leader aligned to the west who has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since the invasion began.

Earlier this month, the United States urged Israel to take a more definitive stance on Russia’s invasion. Several sanctioned ÌýareÌýalso Israeli citizens.Ìý