They run on a simple two-stroke engine like an old-fashioned motorized lawn mower, but force Ukrainian citizens to flee to air raid shelters: Iranian “kamikaze” drones. According to Ukraine, they are increasingly being used by the Russian army.

They are actually launched unmanned aerial vehicles with dozens of kilograms of explosives on board. They fly towards a pre-programmed target and explode there. Critical infrastructure in the Kyiv region is said to have been hit by such drones just last week.

The governor spoke of “a drone attack by invaders on the municipality of Makariv”. It is unclear whether there were victims. According to Ukraine, a power plant in the area was also hit in a drone attack. Ukraine had previously acknowledged that military equipment and infrastructure had also been hit in various locations.

This would be an image of such a kamikaze drone attack in the port city of Odessa:

A Shahed 136, as the Iranian-made kamikaze drones are called, is relatively easy to take out. The device is not exactly high-tech. Production costs are estimated at $20,000. This is a small change compared to other military drones. It is therefore a welcome alternative for Russia, as the inventory of expensive precision missiles and ammunition is rapidly depleted.

The problem for Ukraine is that Russia can launch dozens of them at once, overloading Ukraine’s air defenses. “The Ukrainian military can take out most of them, but not all of them,” said Samuel Bendett. He is an expert on Russian defense technology at the American think tank CNA. “And only one has to get through.”

Amount of damage unclear

Damage to civilian targets, civilian infrastructure, or military targets can be extensive. It just depends a lot on the goal. A bunker, for example, is more resistant to such an explosion than a house.

Ukraine doesn’t or hardly addresses what Russia has destroyed with all the drone attacks. And not without reason: at least Russia does not know from the media how effective an attack was.

“It’s also a psychological weapon,” Bendett continues. “These drones hit civilian targets and civilian infrastructure like power plants.” And where shaheds, also called mopeds because of the noise of the engines, approach, the air raid alarm siren sounds. Citizens then have to seek shelter in subway stations or air raid shelters.

By the way, Moscow denies the use of Iranian drones and Tehran the supply of drones to Russia. But Ukraine has released several videos and photos of drone strikes, confiscated Mohajers shaheds and debris from downed planes:

Bendett: “The first batch of Iranian drones was estimated to have included several hundred aircraft. And Ukrainian President Zelensky said Iran plans to send 2,400 more.” If true, Iran’s unmanned weapons of war are becoming a growing problem for Kyiv.

They force Ukraine to invest more in anti-aircraft guns. The US will send additional advanced anti-aircraft systems. And Ukraine says it has already received an IRIS-T anti-aircraft system from Germany, with three more on the way.

jammer

NATO said yesterday it is also sending hundreds of jammers to confuse drone radars. “They could disable Russian and Iranian drones,” said NATO chief Stoltenberg.

According to expert Bendett, it is correct that such Sympathy be effective against drones. But that certainly won’t solve the problem, he says. “Russia can try to modify the drones so that the electronics are less susceptible to such interference. And even if that doesn’t work and the drones are thrown off course by the jammers, they can still cause damage.”