Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov announced on May 26 that it is launching a new division for the production of kamikaze drones, one of the key types of weapons used during Russia’s war against Ukraine.
After Ukrainian forces used Western, Israeli and Turkish drones in the early months of the war, Russia began using Iranian-made Shahed drones in an attempt to increase its own production.
“In 2024, we will be able to several times increase the number of UAVs produced in our traditional niche: barrage munitions, reconnaissance drones,” said Kalashnikov President Alan Lushnikov, who is under Western sanctions because of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He did not name the exact data.
On May 24, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian military shot down almost 900 Iranian Shahed drones out of 1160 used by Russian troops against Ukrainian towns and villages.