Russia To Deploy Kamikaze Drones In Swarms To Beat Ukraine's Air Defences?

Soon after Russia took delivery of hundreds of deadly weapons from Iran, waves of Kamikaze drones hit Kyiv, Ukraine Monday.

Iran's cargo planes landed in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport over the weekend. It heralded a new campaign of terror on Ukraine’s civilian population, reported Mirror.

It is believed that Russia has ordered more than 2,000 of the drones. It is feared that Russia will deploy them in “swarms” in order to beat Ukraine’s air defences. Russia also took delivery of Fateh-100 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles from Iran. They were delivered in a heavy transport II-76 Iranian cargo plane. Explosive-tipped Shahed-136 drones struck Kyiv on Monday. They set buildings alight, killed three and sent residents looking for shelters.

The port of Mykolaiv was also attacked by drones. Russia had launched airstrikes on Odesa. Up to 16 cruise missiles were fired from the Black Sea. One drone that struck Kyiv was reportedly marked “For Belgorod.” It indicated that it was in revenge for attacks on facilities in the town over the weekend. By midday a swarm of at least 28 drones had been sent against the capital of Ukraine. Many of them were shot down in what Mayor Vitali Klitschko dubbed, “Terrorism.”

Russia had bought 2,400 “kamikaze” drones, but its fleet is being depleted quickly, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Such drones are different from others. Once missiles are launched, drones return to base. But “kamikaze” or “suicide” drones are destroyed in an attack. These munitions, also called “loitering” munitions, can hover above an area to identify a target before diving to destroy it, said Alex Gatopoulos, defence analyst of Al Jazeera. Just like cruise missiles, they can hit targets hundreds of kilometres away. But cruise missiles are expensive, and Gatopoulos said “kamikaze” drones are a cheaper, but precise alternative.

The attacks come after Iran promised to provide Russia with surface to surface missiles and more drones, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters. It is seen as a move that is likely to infuriate the United States and other Western powers.

On Oct. 6, a deal was agreed upon when Iran's first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, an official from the Supreme National Security Council and two senior officials from Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards visited Moscow. The trip was for talks with Russia about the delivery of the weapons.