Russia ordered 2,400 Shahed-136 kamikaze UAVs from Iran

Russia ordered 2,400 Shahed-136 loitering munitions, according to Ukraine’s intelligence services.

This is stated in the speech of the President of Ukraine published on his website.

“According to our intelligence, Russia ordered 2,400 “Shaheds” alone from Iran,” reads the Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement.

The first reports of Russia’s use of Shahed-136 loitering munition in the war against Ukraine appeared in early Sept. 2022. In Russia, the drone is designated by the name “Geran-2.”

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine suggested that the Russian army is increasingly using Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, because they keep precision missiles.

During the massive shelling of Ukraine on Oct. 10, the Russian army, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, used 24 UAVs, of which 13 were Shahed-136.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said that Iran was not able to independently produce these kamikaze drones.

“There are certain components of certain countries. We are now figuring out how they ended up there and why the country that was under sanctions had the ability to buy those things that 100 percent belong to the military-industrial complex,” Danilov said.

On Oct. 11, Ukrainian intelligence reported that Iranian Shahed-136 Russia was transferring to Belarus.

In 2021, a launcher was shown for the first time in Iran on a Shahed-136 multiple launch truck.

Containers with such drones can be easily placed not only on trucks, but also on railway cars, various ships and other mobile means.

Recall that Russia also purchased Iranian strike drones Mohajer-6, which are already being used against Ukraine.