Amid the ongoing prolonged conflict, Ukrainian authorities have disclosed that the recent wave of attacks on its soil involving Iranian kamikaze drones has a European connection. A confidential document, shared with Western allies by Kyiv and obtained by the Guardian, underscored the use of European components in these deadly drones along with appeals for long-range missiles to strike production facilities in Russia, Iran, and Syria.
According to a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine to the G7 nations in August, over the past three months, there have been more than 600 drone attacks on Ukrainian cities employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with Western technology.
The document revealed 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 180kmph, contained 57 such components.
Who were the manufacturers of the identified 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 suggested that Iran’s drone production is shifting to Russia, to the central Tartar region of Alabuga. Ukraine’s government, in its document, made a daring plea to its Western allies, calling for “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 said that such actions could only be carried out by its own defence forces if partners provided the necessary means of destruction, the Guardian reported.
No wrongdoing mentioned
The document does not suggest any wrongdoing by the Western companies whose components have been identified. It noted 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 provided crucial insights into Russia’s evolving drone tactics and production plans since the initial use of Shahed drones in September 2022.
Source » wionews