Iranian drones sent to Russia's military are not being used because of little functionality in colder temperatures, according to Ukrainian military officials.
Yevgeny Silkin, speaker of the Joint Forces Command for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Shaed-136 kamikaze drones are made of plastic and other non-frost-resistant materials, according to Ukrainian news outlet UNIAN.
Silkin said the drones can't be used because the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) don't work in frigid temperatures. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have not identified Russian drone usage since November 17, and the speaker said that there are only training flights of Russian bombers refueling in mid-air.
"The only comfort of minus temperatures in #Ukraine is that shahed drones can't attack," Ukrainian Parliament member Lesia Vasylyenko tweeted Monday. "These Iranian weapons can't take the cold."
The only comfort of minus temperatures in #Ukraine is that shahed drones can’t attack. These Iranian weapons can’t take the cold.
— Lesia Vasylenko (@lesiavasylenko) December 5, 2022
The drones have been used by Russian forces to aid in continuous attacks on critical Ukrainian infrastructure. The efficacy of the Shahed-136 drones compared to other models has been disputed by the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
UNIAN reported that Natalya Gumenyuk, head of the Joint Coordinating Press Center of the Southern Security and Defense Forces in Ukraine, said the decreased usage of other drones may signal depleted stocks and a change in Russian strategy.
Ukrainian forces attacked Russia's drone training center that included Iranian instructors, she added.
"Recently, we have been observing that attacks by kamikaze drones are being carried out, but much less frequently, in particular, these are Russian-made Lancets," Gumenyuk said.
Russian state media outlet Tass reported Monday that Russian troops "are successfully using" UAVs called Tachyon, which are carrying out aerial reconnaissance of hidden positions of Ukrainian armed forces.
"The devices are equipped with a thermal imager, a photo and video camera, with the help of which even well-camouflaged enemy targets were detected, including at night," an interlocutor of a Russian law enforcement agency told Tass.
While adding that this particular drone is being used by Russian ground forces, the source declined to divulge the areas where Tachyon is being used.
Samuel Bendett, Russia analyst for the Center for Naval Analyses and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Newsweek that the Tachyon is advertised as operating in frigid and very hot temperatures, from -30 degrees Celsius to plus-40 degrees Celsius.
He said he's unsure what to make of the Ukrainians' claim regarding the Shahed drones and their functionality in colder temperatures, saying it "may" in fact impact Shahed operations "but not sure to what extent."
"Not sure about Iranian UAVs, but I would assume some of them were not specifically designed for frigid temperatures considering where they operate now," Bendett said.
"At the same time, Iran is building a factory in Tajikistan to manufacture its Ababil-2 drones—and Tajikistan is basically all mountains, geography-wise. So, Ababil-2 will probably have to operate in Tajik mountains, which have very cold temperatures."
Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment.
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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
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