What are ‘kamikaze’ drones deployed by Russia to strike Ukraine?

At least eight people were killed in Ukraine after Russia attacked the capital Kyiv and other regions with ‘kamikaze’ drones on Monday (17 October).

Four people died in Kyiv and another four in Sumy. Among those killed in the capital included a six-month pregnant woman, her husband, an older woman and a man, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said, as per inews.co.uk.

According to the Ukraine government, ‘critical infrastructure’ was hit in the attack in the capital, Dnipro and Sumy regions, while power was cut in hundreds of towns and villages, reports BBC.

Klitschko told CNN that Russia was targeting infrastructure to ‘switch off the electricity’ before the winter months.

Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, alleged that Iranian-made Shahed drones were among those used by Russia in Kyiv, as per inews.co.uk.

This was the second attack on Kyiv after the city was hit last Monday in retaliation for an earlier attack on a key bridge connecting Russia to occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian authorities claim that the current attacks, which began on 10 October, have been carried out across the European nation using Russian missiles along with Iranian-made drones, reports Al Jazeera.

What are ‘kamikaze’ drones being used for attacks by Russia in Ukraine? Why has US hit out at Iran over the attacks? Let’s take a closer look.

What are ‘kamikaze’ drones?

A type of aerial weapon system, ‘kamikaze’ or ‘suicide’ drones explode after hitting their target.

They are called ‘loitering munitions’ because they hover over their target for a while and strike only after an ‘enemy asset is identified’, as per CNN.

Known as the ‘poor man’s cruise missile’, they are cheap, precise and can ‘penetrate air defenses when fired in groups’, says Associated Press (AP).

Unlike their traditional counterparts which are larger and return to the base after dropping missiles, these modern weapons detonate their warhead and destroy the drone in the process, as per CNN.

The word ‘kamikaze’ is associated with the Japanese special attack unit in World War Two which consisted of fighter plane pilots who would fly their explosive-carrying aircraft into US warships and aircraft carriers, notes AP.

These pilots conducted suicide attacks and intentionally crashed into targets.

Russia’s ‘kamikaze’ drone

As per Ukraine, Russia has deployed Iran-made weapon called the Shahed-136 drone for attacks across the country.

These delta-winged unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been rebranded as Geranium-2 by Russia.

Hard to detect on radar, Shahed-136 remains in the air for several hours before striking its target on the ground.

These drones are 3.5 metre long, 2.5 metre wide and weigh approximately 200 kilograms, AP cited Ukrainian online publication Defense Express as saying.

Shahed has a range of 1,000 kilometres and can carry explosive charge ranging from 30-50 kg, as per BBC.

Samir Puri, an analyst at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera, that these drones cost about $20,000 each.

ALSO READ: What are Iran-made Shahed-136 ‘kamikaze’ drones used by Russia to strike Ukraine?

How is Ukraine combating these drones?

Ukrainian armed forces have deployed anti-air missiles and electronic jamming devices to bring down the drones used by Russia, BBC reported.

Ukraine’s armed forces said they had been intercepting 60 per cent of all incoming Shahed-136 drones since the beginning of October.

However, it is not easy to shoot all of them.

“They fly low and you can send them in waves. These swarms of drones are much harder to counter by air defences,” military expert Justin Crump told BBC.

US slams Iran

Iran has officially refuted claims that it supplied Russia with drones for use in Ukraine, however, US officials say that the first batch of such weapons was delivered in August, as per New York Times.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has alleged Russia had bought 2,400 ‘kamikaze’ drones from Iran, Al Jazeera reported.

After the attacks on Monday, the US said it agrees with the French and British assessment that Iran’s supply of drones to Russia violates UN sanctions, as per BBC.

The UN Security Council Resolution 2231 bans Iran from sharing certain military technologies.

“It is our belief that these UAVs that were transferred from Iran to Russia and used by Russia in Ukraine are among the weapons that would remain embargoed under 2231,” Vedant Patel of the US State Department said.

Despite Iran’s denial, Patel said the US has “exposed publicly that Russia has received drones from Iran, that this was part of Russia’s plan to import hundreds of Iranian UAVs of various types”, reports BBC.

Further, he reportedly said the increasing relations between Russia and Iran should be seen as a ‘threat’ by the world.

“Anyone doing business with Iran, that can have any link to UAVs or ballistic missile developments or the flow of arms from Iran to Russia, should be very careful and do their due diligence. The US will not hesitate to use sanctions,” he was quoted as saying by BBC.

The US also said it would “hold [Russia] accountable for its war crimes.”

With inputs from agencies

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