In the early hours of Saturday there was a new Russian attack in Ukraine: at least three people were killed and another 10 were injured in an attack carried out by some drones in the suburbs of Odessa, one of the main Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. According to the according to the first information provided by the Ukrainian army, Russia allegedly used eight Iranian-made Shahed-131 and Shaded-136 drones and two missiles. The drones were destroyed by the Ukrainian military, but the debris hit a high-rise building and caused a fire. The shock wave caused by the drones’ destruction also damaged the surrounding buildings.
‼️Three civilians were killed and 26 others were wounded, including a pregnant woman and two children, in a Russian drone attack on #Odessa last night, Operational Command South reported.
Air defense shot down all the enemy #droneshowever, the debris fell on a residential… pic.twitter.com/cTRc6brfeQ
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) June 10, 2023
In recent months, Russia has staged several rocket and so-called kamikaze drone attacks. The Shahed-136 drones are manufactured by HESA, an Iranian state-owned company. They are about 3 meters long and have a wingspan of 2.5 meters. They can fly more than two thousand kilometers autonomously, i.e. following GPS coordinates, and carry up to about 50 kilos. The reason why there is not much talk about the widespread attacks is that during the war the Ukrainian army improved its air defense systems, thanks to the defense weapons supplied in recent months by various Western countries but also to the improvement of crews which they are dedicated exclusively to air defense by day and by night.
– Read also: Iranian drones used by Russia in Ukraine
The method that has so far proved to be the most effective for defense against Russian missiles and drones are the Patriot systems supplied to Ukraine by the United States in late April, also capable of traveling at high speeds and equipped with radars that allow track the position of even very fast missiles. Russia, on the other hand, has so far shown that it can organize attacks on a regular basis and on a large scale, albeit relying in some cases on less accurate missiles. When there are large and multi-area bombings, Ukraine often finds itself having to make difficult decisions about how to deploy resources that are altogether limited.
On Friday, the United States showed some images that would demonstrate Iran’s supplies of drones to Russia. According to the United States, the drones follow the Caspian Sea route from the port of Amirabad in Iran to Makhachkala, Russia, and from there are brought overland near the frontline in Ukraine. A satellite image has also been released that would demonstrate the construction of a drone production plant in the Alabuga area in Russia. The facility is expected to be operational early next year, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. According to the Wall Street Journal, the plant could produce at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones.
The U.S. said Iran ships drones to Russia over the Caspian Sea for use on the battlefield in Ukraine, declassifying intelligence to show the countries’ deepening relationship https://t.co/OdhhwwjnbT
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 10, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday that the Ukrainian counter-offensive had begun. “In any case, it can be said that all attempts at a (Ukrainian) counter-offensive so far have failed,” Putin said. “But the offensive potential of the Kiev regime’s troops remains.” The attacks carried out by the Ukrainian army in the last few hours have been concentrated in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is located more or less in the middle of the long eastern front which from the Luhansk region in the north continues to the Crimea, passing through the Donbass.
The city of Zaporizhzhia is under the control of the Ukrainian army, but a large part of the region in which it is located is controlled by Russian soldiers. More generally, due to its geographical position, the Zaporizhzhia region is considered ideal for trying to break the front.
