Russia’s Iranian kamikaze drones strike

The kamikaze drones fly at a speed of almost 200 kilometers per hour and sound like a motorcycle before suddenly falling from the sky towards the Ukrainian defenders. “It’s very difficult to spot them on radar,” quotes the website “Politico” a non-commissioned officer whose special unit near Cherson has just lost two tanks and their crews to a Russian attack. “It’s a huge problem.”

The new threat that has appeared over the battlefield has already caused significant damage. Drones believed to have been controlled from Crimea and occupied territories destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Odessa, among other things, and Russian military bloggers also report an attack on the southern headquarters of the opposing armed forces. On Friday there were renewed attacks on the city and on Mikolayiv.

Kyiv claims to have shot down more than 20 of these unmanned aerial vehicles. However, this is difficult to verify, since the pieces of debris presented as evidence could of course also originate from the intentionally caused crash. The Ukrainian armed forces are not defenseless, they still have a functioning air defense system and anti-drone cannons. But the military leadership had to admit that they were still developing “effective methods of combating” the new threat. According to its own statements, it is now targeting the command centers, such as a drone control station in Davidiv Brid on Thursday.

Drones as a weak point of the Russians

In the early months of the war, drones were seen as a weak point in Putin’s army. While the Ukrainians shot down more than 70 of them, the Turkish Bayraktar unleashed a devastating effect on the enemy side. Attacks with kamikaze drones far behind the front lines in Russia and Crimea also caused a stir.

Moscow turned to Tehran to compensate for its own shortcomings, especially with armed drones. Iran has in recent years thanks to a strategic partnership with China established a strong industrial base for combat drones. The country also uses it to supply its regional allies, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The effectiveness of Iranian drones was demonstrated three years ago in an attack on two Saudi oil rigs.

Russia, its own drone programs due to technical problems and material shortages due to sanctions Iran wanted inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles that would have a similar effect to cruise missiles that are much more expensive and limited in number.

According to American intelligence information, a delegation from Moscow visited the country in June. In mid-July, the USA reported Tehran is ready despite its officially neutral status in the Ukraine warto deliver hundreds of armed and unarmed drones. These arrived in August, but there are different information about the exact time. In response to their emergence on the battlefield, Kyiv revoked the Iranian ambassador’s accreditation in September.

Low-tech destruction and intelligence gathering

Exactly what Russia received is unclear. The one shot down multiple times Shahed 136 Kamikaze Drone, used by Moscow with the designation Geran-2, is comparatively small with a wingspan of 2.5 meters and light with a total weight of 200 kilos. It can therefore only carry a limited explosive charge, which one military expert compared to an artillery shell. Their components are not technically advanced and According to connoisseurs, mostly freely available in electronics stores.

At least once, the Ukrainians managed to destroy a larger, more technically advanced Mojaher-6 drone. This can carry up to four rockets or bombs and can be retrieved after a mission. It fulfills an important reconnaissance function and, according to Russian military specialists, identified the targets in Odessa that the kamikaze drones attacked shortly afterwards. Ukrainians claim that Moscow also bought the Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 models. According to the Jamestown website Both can be equipped with precision ammunition, the Shahed-191 has stealth technology.

The combination of additional reconnaissance capabilities and the destructive power of swarming kamikaze drones that overwhelm anti-aircraft defenses means a new threat to tactically important stationary targets in Ukraine. Their armed forces have largely the same Soviet air defense systems as the Russians, who were struggling, at least early in the war, to identify and combat large and relatively slow drones like the Bayraktar. Similar problems could arise for the Ukrainians with the Iranian models. In the case of cheap kamikaze drones, the question also arises as to whether it is worth using expensive defensive missiles against them.

Nevertheless, experts assume that the Iranian drones, although causing problems and casualties for the Ukrainians, will not be a decisive factor on the battlefield. They point out their limited number and the lack of technical integration into the Russian systems. More intensive cooperation would also necessitate the presence of Iranian military personnel in the combat zone, which Tehran probably wants to avoid because of the political risks involved.

Demand for new defensive weapons

Nevertheless, the Ukrainians are insisting on the delivery of Western air defense systems. President Zelensky has also publicly criticized Israel for not doing more, as the country has the most experience in countering Iranian drones. According to information from the «Guardian» However, a senior Israeli representative visited Kyiv in September to discuss the issue.

The non-commissioned officer of the special unit near Cherson sees above all a need for new weapons supplies from the USA: They did have Stingers, but these could only be used against drones during the day due to the lack of a night vision system. In addition, the Ukrainian army needs more modern radar systems to keep an eye on simultaneous threats from different sides. Washington has already approved the delivery of advanced Switchblade 600 drones. However, it may take a while for these to arrive on the battlefield.