Russian forces launch Iranian ‘kamikaze drones’ at Ukrainian targets

By Dylan Malyasov
Seeptember 22, 2024

Russian troops carried out serious strikes on the Ukrainian targets in the Southenr region, on September 23, Ukrainian officials said.

A number of Iranian-made Shahed-136 “kamikaze” unmanned aerial vehicles were used to carry out the strikes on Ukrainian targets in Odesa and Dnipro regions

Ukraine said on Friday it would downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran over Tehran’s decision to supply Russian forces with drones, a move President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called “a collaboration with evil”.

Zelenskiy said a total of eight Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles had been shot down so far in the conflict.

“Today the Russian army used Iranian drones for its strikes. … The world will know about every instance of collaboration with evil, and it will have corresponding consequences,” Zelenskiy said in a late night video address.

Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, said in a tweet on Saturday that in response to the supply of weapons to Russia, “we announced the revocation of accreditation of the Iranian Ambassador in Kyiv, and a significant drawdown of diplomatic personnel at the Iranian embassy”.

Military authorities in southern Ukraine said in a statement they had shot down four Shahed-136 “kamikaze” unmanned aerial vehicles over the sea near the port of Odesa on Friday.

Iran-supplied Shahed-136 is a loitering or suicide drone fully developed and manufactured by the Iranian defense industry. It was unveiled in December 2021 during a video report of Iranian TV.

The Shahed-136, also know as Heran 2, has a length of 3.5 m, a wingspan of 2.5 m, and a weight of 200 kg. The drone is equipped with an explosive warhead and can fly at a range of up to 2,500 km at a maximum speed of 185 km/h.

Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative.

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SHAHED DRONE. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Russia once again launched attack drones on Ukrainian territory on the evening of 1 January.
Source: Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Details: At 21:43, the Air Force warned of the threat of attack drones in the east.
Quote: "Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts are under threat from attack UAVs!"
Update: At 21:54, a warning about the threat of drone attacks was also issued in Kharkiv Oblast.
At 22:28, the military reported that UAVs were moving in the southern part of Kharkiv Oblast, heading west, and in the northern part of Dnipro Oblast, changing course to Ukraine’s south (Dnipro).
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At 22:54, it was reported that Shahed drones were moving in the western part of Dnipro Oblast, heading west/southwest, and in the eastern part of Dnipro Oblast, heading north.
At 23:31, some of the UAVs were moving northwest in Kherson Oblast; the UAVs spotted in the western part of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were heading west; UAVs in the northern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast were heading west/northwest; UAVs in the Pavlohrad district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were advancing northwest, and in the Pervomaiskyi district of Kharkiv Oblast – northwest.
At 23:48, it was reported that several dozen Russian attack drones entered Ukraine’s airspace, and that air-raid warnings may spread to other oblasts following the UAVs’ advance. Air defence systems were activated in response to the drone attack.
At 0:07, it was reported that the drones were advancing towards Kirovohrad and Poltava oblasts.
At 00:39, the Air Force reported that the attack UAVs were advancing across several Ukrainian oblasts:
UAVs in the Okhtyrka district of Sumy Oblast were advancing northwest;
Several clusters of drones in the Pavlohrad and Dnipro districts of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were constantly changing their course;
Clusters of UAVs in several districts of Kirovohrad Oblast were moving west;
Clusters of UAVs in Mykolaiv Oblast were moving northwest;
A drone spotted to the south of Poltava was heading northwest.
The military urged residents of Kirovohrad Oblast to heed air-raid warnings and take shelter.
At 01:25, the military updated the information on the advance of Russian attack drones:
Several clusters of UAVs were spotted on the border of Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad oblasts and were heading northwest;
Clusters of UAVs in the Novoukrainka district of Kirovohrad Oblast were moving west;
UAVs seen on the border of Vinnytsia, Kyiv and Cherkasky oblasts were advancing west;
UAVs spotted on the border of Poltava and Chernihiv oblasts were moving west;
UAVs in the southern part of Poltava Oblast were heading west/northwest.
The majority of attack drones were in Kirovohrad Oblast at the time, and were heading west.
At 02:11, the Air Force updated the information on the advance of Russian attack UAVs:
UAVs in the eastern part of Mykolaiv Oblast were moving northwest;
UAVS in the Andrushivka and Ruzhyn districts of Zhytomyr Oblast were advancing west/northwest;
Several clusters of attack UAVs in the Uman district of Cherkasy Oblast were heading west/northwest;
Several UAVs in the eastern part of Cherkasy Oblast were constantly changing their course;
UAVs in the Pyriatyn district of Poltava Oblast were heading north/north-west.
At 02:24, an air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv.
The following update on the advance of Russian attack drones was issued:
A drone in the Obukhivskyi district was heading toward Kyiv;
A drone in the Makariv district of Kyiv Oblast was heading toward Kyiv;
Several clusters of UAVs in the Tetiiv district of Kyiv Oblast were advancing northwest;
Several UAVs were spotted in the eastern part of Cherkasy Oblast;
A UAV in the Bashtanka district of Mykolaiv Oblast was moving west.
At 03:01, the military reported that several UAVs in the Fastiv district of Kyiv Oblast had changed course and were moving toward Kyiv. Several UAVs were also spotted near Kyiv. Kyiv residents were asked to stay in shelters until an all-clear was issued.
At 03:08, the military said UAVs were moving toward Mykolaiv from the west.
At 03:30, the military updated the information on the advance of Russian attack UAVs:
UAVs in the Brovary district were moving toward Kyiv;
UAVs were also spotted in the Zolotonosha district of Cherkasy Oblast.
At 03:56, an all-clear was given in Kyiv.
At 04:28, an all-clear was issued in the rest of Ukrainian oblasts.
Background:
The Russians launched a record number of Shahed attack drones on Ukraine on the night of 31 December–1 January. Ukrainian air defence forces downed 87 out of 90 of them.
Ukrainian air defence forces shot down 9 out of 10 Russian drones during a Russian attack on the afternoon of Monday, 1 January.