Russia has stopped using its Iranian suicide drones because they don't work in the cold, Ukraine says

Authored by businessinsider.com and submitted by critical_pancake

Russia has stopped using Iranian-made suicide drones due to cold weather, a Ukrainian official said.

He said that the drones were made of plastic and other materials that can't deal with frost.

Russia has used the unmanned aircraft to knock out power infrastructure across Ukraine.

Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Russia has stopped using Iranian-made kamikaze drones in Ukraine because they don't work in cold weather, a Ukrainian official said.

Yevgeny Silkin, of the Joint Forces Command for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that Russia had stopped using the Iranian drones, which are made of plastic and other materials that are not frost resistant, according to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.

The outlet said that the drones have not been used in Ukraine since November 17, which was also the first day that it snowed in Ukraine this year.

Winters in Ukraine can be cold, with mean temperatures often below freezing between December and March.

Russia started to use the Iranian drones in October, as part of a new playbook that targeted power distribution and other critical infrastructure from afar. Ukrainian civilians have also been killed by drone strikes.

A composite image showing an Iranian drone in the sky and the aftermath of a strike on Kyiv on October 17, 2022. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images; Insider

Iran and Russia have denied any cooperation on weapons, but Iran later admitted that it had sent Russia weapons, adding that this was before Russia's invasion of Ukraine started.

Multiple reports and Western intelligence assessments have contradicted this.

The UK, US, and EU have put sanctions on the drone manufacturer and some individuals over supplying the weaponry to Russia.

CNN reported in November that Iran was preparing to send more weapons to Ukraine, including short range ballistic missiles. And it reported that Iran and Russia had reached an agreement for Russia to start producing the drones itself.

The UK's ministry of defense said on November 23 that Russia was likely running out of the drones, but that it could purchase more.

Multiple reports have also said that Iran has been training Russia on how to use the drones and other weapons.

On December 3rd, Avril Haines, the US National Intelligence Director, said that winter conditions are expected to slow the war, and that there was already a "reduced tempo."

Dennyposts on December 6th, 2022 at 00:27 UTC »

"If you're cold - they're cold. Bring those drones inside this winter."

Ehldas on December 5th, 2022 at 23:22 UTC »

"How'd you solve the icing problem?"

autotldr on December 5th, 2022 at 22:30 UTC »

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 66%. (I'm a bot)

Russia has stopped using Iranian-made kamikaze drones in Ukraine because they don't work in cold weather, a Ukrainian official said.

Yevgeny Silkin, of the Joint Forces Command for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that Russia had stopped using the Iranian drones, which are made of plastic and other materials that are not frost resistant, according to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. The outlet said that the drones have not been used in Ukraine since November 17, which was also the first day that it snowed in Ukraine this year.

Iran and Russia have denied any cooperation on weapons, but Iran later admitted that it had sent Russia weapons, adding that this was before Russia's invasion of Ukraine started.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Russia#1 drone#2 Ukraine#3 Iran#4 reports#5