Russia is trying to shoot down Ukrainian airplanes and helicopters with "shaheds"

Russia has begun using its explosive Shahed drones to try to shoot down Ukrainian airplanes and helicopters in the air. About reported lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Myronenko, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for Innovation, told Business Insider.

According to him, the Russian army is testing new modifications of Shaheds and other models of drones that are controlled directly by operators. For this purpose, antennas are used in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as in Russia and Belarus near the front.

"It is even more difficult to fight such 'Shaheds' because they are controlled in real time, which allows the operator to react to the current situation and even try to attack our planes or helicopters in the air. This not only reduces the reaction time of Ukrainian defenders, but creates a whole new set of problems," added Myronenko.

Ukraine relies heavily on combat aircraft to shoot down Russian drones. Business Insider notes that the tactic of hunting down drone aircraft is likely an attempt by Moscow to suppress Kyiv's air defense.

At the same time, according to Mironenko, Kyiv is capable of responding to the threat of Russia's new weapons and can do so "very quickly."

"But how exactly this is can only be revealed over time, once the enemy understands the nature of countermeasures and they no longer provide a competitive advantage," the deputy minister clarified.

• november 25, GUR published the detailed structure of the new Iranian Shahed-107 drone, which Russia is using to strike the frontline regions of Ukraine. About its development was known in early 2024.