Two Iranian-made drones spotted in Sumy Oblast late on March 7, one shot down
Ukrainian military protects the sky from unmanned aerial vehicles (Photo:mvs.gov.ua)
Ukrainian air forces shot down one of two Iranian-made Shahed drones spotted flying over Sumy Oblast in the north of Ukraine on March 7, the regional military administration reported on Telegram on March 8.
Defense forces recorded the flights of two enemy UAVs in the north of Sumy Oblast at around 10 p.m.
One of them was shot down, the administration said. There is no information about the fate of the second drone.
Dubbed “flying lawnmowers” due to their distinctive rotor engine sound, the Iranian drones are relatively small and are able to fly low, making it more difficult to be spotted by radar. Vulnerable to machine-gun fire from the ground during the day, Russia now launches them almost exclusively at night.
On March 6, Russia launched 15 Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 suicide drones at Ukraine, with Ukraine’s defense forces knocking out 13.
The air force said that attack was also carried out from the north, namely Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It was recently reported by Ukraine’s military that Russia had established a new launch site in the Russian Oblast, which borders Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast.
The air force said the new site was likely established to make it easier for Russia to attack the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The closest part of Russian territory to the city of Kyiv is the southwest of Bryansk Oblast – a little more than 200 kilometers away.
Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 flying bombs have cruising speeds of 150 km/h and 200 km/h, meaning they could make the journey from their launch site to targets in Kyiv in an hour to an hour and 20 minutes.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia hopes the shorter flying time because of the closer launch site will make it more likely that more of the drones will evade air defenses and reach their targets.
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