The Russians launched 12 kamikaze drones to hit targets in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region. Six of these drones were shot down by the Air Defense Forces. The drones were launched from the south — either from the occupied Kherson region or from the occupied Crimea.
On October 5, the spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine Yurii Hnat told "Babel" about this.
He explained that it is still difficult to shoot down kamikaze drones because they are launched together: "They are launched quickly one by one. And multiple drones can fly as a single blip on the radar. That is, air defense can see several drones as one target. It makes it harder to beat."
Despite this, the Ukrainian military is shooting them down with anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, radar combat equipment, portable anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-aircraft missiles and fighter jets. Anti-drones have not yet been sent to Ukraine.
Hnat added that these are definitely Iranian kamikaze drones. This is actually a full-fledged airplane with a wingspan of 2.5 meters and a weight of 200 kg. The warhead of a kamikaze drone weighs 40 kg, unlike cruise missiles, in which the warhead weighs 400 kg or more.
According to the application of the developers, kamikaze drones can fly up to 2.5 thousand km. "But this is hardly true, rather an advertising ploy. Because the weight of the drone is 200 kg, the warhead is 40 kg, so it is unlikely that it will cover such a distance at a cruising speed of 120 kmph. Therefore, 2.5 thousand is an exaggerated figure. But a drone can definitely fly hundreds of kilometers, maybe up to a thousand. And thatʼs a lot too," Hnat explained.
- On the night of October 5, Russia struck Bila Tserkva in Kyiv region with Iranian kamikaze drones of the Shahed-136 type, with a total of six hits and explosions. One person was wounded, the infrastructure was damaged.