Russia’s military began covering its Shahed attack drones with carbon to complicate the work of Ukrainian air defense, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on Nov. 25.
Speaking on national television, Ihnat was explaining the black color of drone debris found in Ukraine after Russia’s mass overnight attack.
Carbon is “an absorbing material for the radar signal," and the black color is supposed to make it harder for Ukrainian soldiers to identify and shoot down the drones in the sky, according to Ihnat. Most often, Russia attacks Ukraine with drones and missiles at night.
"Even earlier, they (Russian forces) were improving the drones they had received from Iran and those they had produced domestically, using composite materials for the reflective surface,” the spokesman added.
Overnight on Nov. 25, Russia carried out the largest drone attack on Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s air defense downed 74 out of 75 drones launched by Russian troops, according to the Air Force. Five people were reportedly injured in Kyiv as a result of the attack, including an 11-year-old child.
Russia has used Iranian-designed Shahed-type kamikaze drones to attack Ukrainian cities since September last year, regularly resulting in casualties among civilians.
Francis Farrell
