Amidst the ongoing and protracted conflict, Ukrainian authorities have made public the recent surge in attacks on their territory involving Iranian kamikaze drones, revealing a European connection. A confidential document, shared with Western allies by Kyiv and acquired by The Guardian, highlights the use of European components in these lethal drones and requests for long-range missiles to target production facilities in Russia, Iran, and Syria. According to a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine to the G7 nations in August, there have been over 600 drone attacks on Ukrainian cities using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with Western technology in the past three months.
The document discloses that the Shahed-131 drone contained 52 electrical components manufactured by Western companies, while the Shahed-136 model, with a range of 2,000km and a cruising speed of 180kmh, contained 57 such components.
Notably, five European companies, including a Polish subsidiary of a British multinational, are identified as the original manufacturers of these components.
The document states, “Among the manufacturers are companies headquartered in the countries of the sanctions coalition: the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland.”
Shift in drone production site The document suggests that Iran’s drone production is relocating to Russia, specifically to the central Tartar region of Alabuga. Ukraine’s government, in its document, makes a bold plea to its Western allies, urging “missile strikes on the production plants of these UAVs in Iran, Syria, as well as on a potential production site in the Russian Federation.”
Ukraine asserts that such actions can only be executed by its own defense forces if its partners provide the necessary means of destruction, as reported by The Guardian.
No wrongdoing alleged The document does not imply any wrongdoing on the part of the Western companies whose components have been identified. It notes that “Iranian UAV production has adapted and mostly uses available commercial components, the supply of which is poorly or not controlled at all.”
The Ukrainian government’s report, titled “Barrage Deaths: Report on Shahed-136/131 UAVs,” was compiled with the assistance of Ukraine’s central research institute of armaments and military equipment. It also provides critical insights into Russia’s evolving drone tactics and production plans since the initial use of Shahed drones in September 2022.
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