Russia Uses 27 Iranian Drones In Large-Scale Attack On Ukraine

Firefighters evacuating people from a residential building destroyed by a Russian drone strike, which local authorities consider to be Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Shahed-136, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 17, 2022
Firefighters evacuating people from a residential building destroyed by a Russian drone strike, which local authorities consider to be Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Shahed-136, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 17, 2022

Russia used 27 Iranian-made drones and 30 missiles to attack large swaths of Ukraine early on August 6, as a conference took place in Saudi Arabia exploring options for peace.

The Russian attack came in two waves. First, missiles were fired at various targets late on August five, and the second wave followed on August 6, when the Iranian drones were used.

Ukrainian officials said all 27 Shahed 136 and 131 drones were shot down by air defenses but some of the missiles fired from the Black Sea and the Caspian region got through.

Russia regularly uses the Iranian drones during massive missile attacks to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses, although Kyiv’s military has learned how to shoot down most of the relatively slow-moving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Iran has supplied hundreds of the killer drones to Russia since mid-2022, but insists it is neutral in the war and is not arming Russia.

US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has decided to show foreign officials “undeniable” evidence of the Iranian origin of the drones shout down over Ukraine NBC News reported on Friday.

Washington first warned about Tehran’s plan to supply attack drones to Russia in July 2022 and in October it announced that indeed Moscow had started to use Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine. In February the DIA issued a report saying that analysis confirmed Russia’s use of various lethal Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukraine.