Russia inflicted 'serious damage' to Ukrainian army by deploying Iranian drones: Report

Amid the ongoing ravaging war in Eastern Europe, Ukraine claimed that Russia recently introduced Iranian drones and used them extensively for the first time since the onset of the conflict in late February. The Iranian Kamikaze drones, also known as 'suicide drones' have created new dangers and inflicted serious damage to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Wall  Street Journal (WSJ) reported. Col. Rodion Kulagin, commander of the artillery of Ukraine’s 92nd Mechanized Brigade, claimed that Iran's Shahed-136 delta-wing drones that have been painted in Russian colours and given the new name 'Geranium 2' have begun to fly over Ukrainian armour and artillery sites in the Kharkiv region for the last few days. 

Col. Kulagin further stated that the Iranian drones have already destroyed two 152 mm and two 122 mm self-propelled howitzers, as well as two BTR armoured infantry vehicles, in the operational area of his brigade. According to him, the Iranian drones have so far primarily been deployed in the Kharkiv region, where the 92nd Brigade and other Ukrainian forces gave a fitting response to Russia's strikes. “In other areas, the Russians have overwhelming artillery firepower, and they manage with that. Here, they no longer have that artillery advantage, and so they have started to resort to these drones,” the Ukrainian commander told the WSJ. 

Meanwhile, independent experts, who reviewed images of recent drone wreckage from the Kharkiv region, confirmed that they are of Shahed-136, the latest version of Tehran’s delta-wing design. According to Scott Crino, founder and CEO of Red Six Solutions LLC, a strategic consulting company, the Shahed-136 might offer Russia a formidable alternative to the cutting-edge weaponry that the US has given to Ukraine, such as Himars missile launchers. "The presence of Shahed-136 in the Ukraine war is undoubtedly changing the operational plans of Kyiv. The sheer size of Ukraine's battlefield makes it hard to defend against such drones," he added. 

ISW confirms the use of Iranian-provided drones by Russia

It should be noted here that Kamikaze drones are unmanned aircraft that don’t fire missiles but are missiles. They are capable of circling above a target and waiting for the perfect moment to strike with incredible precision. Earlier in August, the Institute for Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, also stated that the Russian Armed Forces are using Iranian-provided drones in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government claimed that Iran has handed over as many as 46 drones to Russia. 

Image: AP