News Feed

UK Defense Ministry: Russia deploys domestically-produced drones based on Shaheds

2 min read
UK Defense Ministry: Russia deploys domestically-produced drones based on Shaheds
Remains of a Shahed 136 kamikaze drone at an exhibition showing remains of missiles and drones that Russia used to attack Kyiv on May 12, 2023, in Kyiv. (Photo credit: Oleksii Samsonov /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russia has almost certainly started to deploy domestically-produced drones based on Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone designs, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence report on Aug. 16.

Domestic production will enable Russia to establish a more stable supply of kamikaze drones to be used in airstrikes against Ukraine, the report noted.

Although Moscow likely hopes to become fully self-sufficient in manufacturing the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), it is currently dependent on components and complete weapons shipped from Iran, mostly via the Caspian Sea, the ministry said.

As the intelligence report pointed out, Shahed drones have so far achieved "variable" results as Ukrainian forces proved capable of intercepting the majority of the incoming UAVs.

Join our community
Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Support us

Russian forces have been utilizing Iranian-made drones to strike targets across Ukraine. In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia plans to construct a factory to produce drones of Iranian design on Russian territory.

The claim was later backed by U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who clarified in June that the plant in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan could become operational in early 2024.

However, researchers from the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said on Aug. 13 that Russia has already begun making copies of Shahed drones commonly marked as Geran-2. The CAR came to the conclusion upon inspecting the wreckage of two UAVs shot down in southeastern Ukraine.

CNN: Ukraine takes credit for striking Crimean Bridge with sea drone in July
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed responsibility for the July 17 attack on the Crimean Bridge and said they used an experimental sea drone in the operation, CNN reported on Aug. 15.
Article image

Avatar
Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

Read more
News Feed
Video

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.

Show More