The Russian TV channel Zvezda has published a video featuring the test "firing" of a Russian weapon for visual and optical warfare, the 5P-42 "Philin" (Russian for "eagle owl"). The system can be used at night and essentially renders enemy targeting systems, night vision equipment and scopes within a 5 km range useless by "blinding" them. It's also capable of blinding and disorienting enemy personnel within a range of 2 kilometres. The system has already been deployed on several Russian ships.
READ MORE: Russian Consulate Calls Media Panic Around Frigate Near UK 'Distortion of Facts'
The frigate drew the attention of British media outlets on 7 March after The Scotsman reported that Russian naval vessels, including the Admiral Gorshkov, had been "sailing through UK territorial waters at will to conduct provocative drills" near Moray Firth. Russian the Consulate General rejected the accusations as baseless, noting that the group remained in international waters the entire time.