Iranian “kamikaze” drones are being used by Russia to launch attacks on Ukrainians in a worrying escalation of the war.
Kyiv confirmed that it recently shot down a number of unmanned Shahed-136 drones after they were used in attacks over the weekend.
Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for Odesa's regional administration said: "The enemy is trying to save on missiles... these Shaheds are much cheaper, they can be used much more frequently and in pairs.
"We are seeing that the enemy can even launch several of these kamikaze drones for one attack."
These low-flying weapons, dubbed suicide drones, have been called "evil’" by Ukraine who has broken off diplomatic contact with Iran since they discovered the new weapons were being used.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky withdrew the Iranian ambassador's accreditation and cut its diplomatic staff in Kyiv.
“Six of these Iranian drones were downed by our air defences of the East and South commands. One more was brought to the ground by air defences of the navy… And just now I am being told about the downing by air defences of the South command of another strike Iranian drone,” Zelensky said.
Iran, which has denied supplying unmanned aerial vehicles, has said it will respond with "proportional action."
Western intelligence suggests that the Kremlin has sourced 1,000 of the 200kg, delta wing-shaped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Tehran after Moscow.
Scott Crino, founder and chief executive of Red Six Solutions LLC, a strategic consulting firm, told the Wall St Journal: “The presence of Shahed-136 in Ukraine war is undoubtedly changing the operational plans of Kyiv.
"The sheer size of Ukraine battlefield makes it hard to defend against the Shahed-136.”
While they may have powerful capabilities, what it does show is Russia's continued weakness and losses, therefore, having to turn to other countries for assistance.
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence said it was “highly likely” that Russia has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) made by Iran in the nearly seven-month war in Ukraine.
Andriana Arekhta, a junior sergeant with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Politico that the drones flew from Crimea to attack her special forces unit fighting near the southern city of Kherson.
They dropped bombs on their position, destroying two tanks with their crews inside and she said its near impossible to see the drones on radars.
Ukraine will need Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar systems and 360-degree radar to fend off this latest threat.
A Ukrainian foreign ministry statement said the envoy was told the supply of Iranian weapons to Russia “directly contradicts the position of neutrality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and was “an unfriendly act that deals a serious blow to Ukraine-Iran relations”.
