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Russian forces have ramped up deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, striking hundreds of miles from the front lines, and an emerging weapon of choice as Russia runs low on other long-range weapons is an Iranian-made suicide drone.
Several people were killed in a bombardment of Kyiv on Monday, Ukrainian officials said. The explosive suicide drones used in the attack, the latest in a series of recent attacks on civilian areas, could be seen in photos and videos flying around as police officers desperately tried to shoot them down before they reached their targets and detonated.
Ukraine’s defense ministry identified the drones that Russia used against the Ukrainian capital as the Iranian-made Shahed-136, a weapon which Russia calls the Geran-2. Russian forces have been using these suicide drones for over a month, and the frequency of use appears to be on the rise.
Though it is referred to as a drone, the Shahed-136 is a loitering munition, which makes it different from both more traditional unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.
This weapon has an operational range of around 1,250 miles and can fly around like a normal drone, even lingering or loitering over a target area. Packed with explosives, these small systems can be directed at targets in an area once on site and then detonate upon impact like a missile.
