Resurgence in Russian drone assaults strains Ukrainian defences
After a few days of limited activity, the Russians resumed their extensive use of Shahed drones. On May 11-12, more than 200 drones flew over Ukraine. This article provides background and insight into the effects of these basic unmanned attacks.
During May 11 and 12, Ukraine was targeted by 108 Russian Shahed drones and others, totalling 216 drones. This marked a significant increase in attack intensity compared to 31 units on May 8, 2025.
It’s noteworthy that Ukrainians eliminated 101 and 85 units on May 11 and 12, respectively, using kinetic measures and electronic warfare systems. However, some drones did hit targets in the regions of Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Zhytomyr.
Shahed drones — Russian swarming weapon not so cheap after all
Shahed drones are a favoured weapon by the Russians and come in various forms. The latest variants are equipped with turbojet engines and advanced guidance systems, combining satellite and inertial navigation. However, they come with a hefty price tag of over a million dollars each.
The more common models belong to the Shahed-136 family. These have a simple design built in a delta wing configuration, measuring about 3.4 metres in length and with a wingspan of about 2.4 metres, complete with two vertical stabilizers at the ends.
Initially, the drones were expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars when sourced from Iran. However, due to demand for production parts and Russian needs for domestic licensed production, the cost per unit has climbed to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s also worth mentioning that part of the payments for Iranian drones was made by Russia in gold.
Shahed drones — Russian harassing weapon
These drones weigh about 200 kilograms, with approximately 50 kilograms accounting for the warhead, and the remainder consisting of items like fuel reserves for the 50 horsepower Chinese boxer engine, a copy of the German LIMBACH L550 E engine. The fuel is sufficient for about 2,500 kilometres of flight.
The drone's guidance is basic, allowing only for navigation along a pre-planned route. These drones cannot detect and avoid obstacles, so if any are in their path, they will collide with them. The most well-known incident involved striking the Chernobyl Arch.
The guidance system's accuracy is lacking and only really allows hitting targets as big as a neighbourhood. This type of weapon is seldom used against military objectives and is more often employed for intimidation, such as threatening cities or supplementing other attack methods like cruise missiles.
Over time, the Russians have made various improvements to the Shaheds, such as painting them black or adding SIM card routers to track where a drone was taken down. This information aids in mapping the Ukrainian anti-drone defenses, helping in future attack planning.
Russians have also learned to time their attacks so that Shahed drones, travelling at speeds of up to 180 km/h, coincide over targets with cruise missiles, making it challenging for Ukrainians to defend. In such scenarios, there is a risk that, for example, a Gepard protecting an area might not intercept all objects in time.
In response, Ukrainians have developed a network of microphones to early detect drones. Subsequently, fighter jets and intervention groups in armed pickups are deployed along the estimated flight paths.
