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Ukrainian "drone hunters" have offered a glimpse into how Kyiv's military is studying the downed remnants of Iranian-made drones, as another wave of drone strikes hit the country overnight.

Taking apart the drones in an undisclosed location, one Ukrainian intelligence officer said the Iranian-made Shahed-136 and -131 drones were "simple but effective" weapons in Russia's arsenal, according to a clip posted by the War Translated project on Twitter.

Shahed-136 and the smaller -131 version have been extensively used by Russian forces in Ukraine. Tehran had denied supplying Moscow with the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but then said it had sent a "small number of drones months before the Ukraine war."

The "majority" of the components for the Shahed drones are "foreign-made," including from the U.S. and China, the unnamed intelligence officer said.

On Tuesday, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said 15 Shahed-136 drones had been used to strike Ukrainian territory. A total of 14 drones were shot down, the General Staff said in an update posted to Facebook.

Ukraine's Air Command previously said it had shot down 12 of a total of 13 Shahed-131 and -136 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched overnight in the north and southeastern regions of Ukraine.

Russian forces also used controlled air bombs over the Kherson region, launched from Su-35 fighter jets, Kyiv said.

On Monday night, the regional administration in Kyiv warned residents of the "threat of attack by enemy drones," before the capital city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported explosions in two districts of Kyiv.

Klitschko later said a fire had broken out at a commercial premises, but that it had been contained. It was the "result of the fall of UAV wreckage," the head of Kyiv's military administration, Serhiy Popko, said in a Telegram statement, adding that all 12 drones used in the "barrage attack" on Kyiv were destroyed.

On Sunday, the British defense ministry said that since the beginning of March, Russia had likely launched at least 71 Shahed attacks in Ukraine.

Moscow had likely started to receive "regular resupplies" of limited numbers of the drones, following a pause in drone activity in late February, the ministry said on Twitter. Western analysts and Ukraine's military had previously suggested Russia was running low of Shahed supplies.

The drones, known to emit a low buzzing sound on approach, carry warheads that explode or shatter as they reach their target. An inexpensive way of stretching Ukraine's air defenses, the UAVs can be difficult to detect before arriving at their targets.

Link:
Ukraine 'Drone Hunters' Show Weaponry as Shaheds Shot Down Over Kyiv - Newsweek