In its December 9 intelligence update, the British Defense Ministry suggests that Russia has received a resupply of the Iranian-made Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 kamikaze drones based on the fact that Russia once again used the UAVs to attack Ukrainian cities on 6 December after a long pause that lasted since 17 November.
Ukrainian air defenses shoot down 17 Russian drones on Dec 6 – Ukraine’s General Staff
The ministry tweeted:
- “For the first time in three weeks, there have been reports of attacks by Iranian-provided one-way attack (OWA) uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). These events remain to be verified, but it is likely that Russia exhausted its previous stock of several hundred Shahed-131s and 136s and has now received a resupply.”
- “On 06 December 2022, the Ukrainian General Staff reported shooting down 17 UAVs, including 14 Shahed-136s. On 07 December 2022, Ukrainian officials reported the use of Iranian-provided OWA UAVs targeting Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro oblasts.”
- “The last previously reported shooting down of Iranian Shahed-136s in Ukraine was on 17 November 2022. If verified, it is likely that Russia has recommenced attacks with newly delivered OWA UAV systems.”
Previously, the Ukrainian Air Force Command’s spokesman Yurii Ihnat stated
Russia uses a new batch of Iranian kamikaze drones against Ukraine – AIr Force
