A Ukrainian soldier was filmed appearing to successfully shoot down a Russian cruise missile during her first combat launch.

Nataliia Hrabarchuk, who was a nursery school teacher before the war, destroyed the Kh-101 long-range missile on Sunday morning during Russia’s latest large-scale attack, the Ukrainian air force said.

Footage showed her dropping to her knees in delight after firing from an Igla MANPADS, a man-portable air defence system launched from a soldier’s shoulder.

The sound of a loud explosion can be heard in the distance.

“When the enemy missile was in front of me, I threw away all emotions and excitement. I had made hundreds of training launches on simulators. And here – the first combat and on target,” Ms Hrabarchuk, a volunteer member of Ukraine’s air defence command, said.