A Ukrainian commander has confirmed that Shaheds have been used against frontline positions, while evidence points to new targeting abilities
During its ongoing fight against Russia, the First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine comes under constant drone attack. Usually, it’s from small, highly maneuverable first-person view (FPV) drones. Occasionally, however, Russia uses its Shahed long-range kamikaze drones against Azov’s frontline positions, Lt. Col. Arsen “Lemko” Dmytryk recently told us in an exclusive interview. Though infrequently deployed against Azov, Shaheds are hitting other Ukrainian units near the front. There is additional evidence that points to these drones increasingly being modified to support closer-range use against targets of opportunity, even moving ones, near the heart of the fighting. This could become a major issue as production of the weapons, which have become Russia’s primary long-range strike capability against static targets, is set to explode.
In March 2024, it became apparent that Russia installed cameras and cellular modems on a small number of Shaheds. That likely gave them aerial reconnaissance capability and the ability to send images back home, and possibly direct man-in-the-loop (MITL) control when connected opportunistically via Ukrainian wireless networks. Standard Shahed drones have no MITL control or autonomous targeting capabilities and can only strike static targets that are predetermined prior to launch.
