According to the Kyiv Post newspaper, Vadym Sukharevskyi, the commander of Ukraine's drone forces, confirmed the weapon's operational status during a conference, saying it was “real” and “operational”.

He added that his team is now working to enhance its range and effectiveness.

“We can state that today Ukraine is, if I’m not mistaken, the fifth country that can say it has a laser weapon,” the commander said, according to reports.

“We are already able to shoot down planes at an altitude of more than 2 kilometers with this laser.”

While the claims have yet to be independently verified, and few details have been shared, reports suggest the weapon is named ‘Tryzub,’ meaning trident, Ukraine’s national symbol.

The name suggests that the technology could have been developed domestically, the Reuters news agency said.

Other countries are also working on developing laser weapons to counter the threat posed by drones.

In April, the U.K.’s defense ministry said that a British laser weapon called DragonFire could be used in Ukraine as a shield against Russian drone attacks.

Last week, it was reported that the system had been successfully tested for the first time on a military range in Wales.

Ukraine’s drone chief also discussed the development of large “queen drones” that can carry two smaller devices, according to Ukrainian media.

These machines can allegedly hit targets over 70 km away and were described as a “breakthrough,” reported the Kyiv Post and Kyiv Independent.