Russia used over 400 Iranian kamikaze drones: Volodymyr Zelensky

Amid the recent escalation in the conflict, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia has hit Ukraine with over 400 Iranian-made Shahed-136 Kamikaze drones against civilian targets.

“Russia has used about 400 Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against Ukraine’s civilian population,” Zelenskyy said.

The Kyiv Independent reported that the attack by Russia was carried out on 17 October when they launched 48 Shahed drones out of which 23 landed in Kyiv and paralysed one-third of Ukraine’s power grids leading to nationwide blackouts.

As ties between Moscow and Tehran solidify, Iran supplies the Russians with UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles), ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones to cope with the former’s depleting arsenal of precision-guided munitions.

The brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure were carried out in response to the Crimean Bridge bombing which led to several tankers carrying fuel to Crimea, partial closure of the bridge and the death of three civilians. The Russians allege Ukrainian involvement in these bombings.

The Crimean Bridge was open in 2018, four years after its annexation by Moscow in 2014. The Bridge is built of the Kerch Strait, connecting the Russian mainland to Crimea.