Shahed drones contain European components, according to report
Daniel Boffey
Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities are filled with European components, according to a secret document sent by Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in Russia, Iran and Syria.
In a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine’s government to the G7 governments in August, it is claimed there were more than 600 raids on cities using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) containing western technology in the previous three months.
According to the report, obtained by the Guardian, 52 electrical components manufactured by western companies were found in the Shahed-131 drone and 57 in the Shahed-136 model, which has a flight range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and cruising speed of 180kmh (111mph).
Five European companies including a Polish subsidiary of a British multinational are named as the original manufacturers of the identified components.
“Among the manufacturers are companies headquartered in the countries of the sanctions coalition: the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland,” it claims.
According to the report, Iran has already diversified its production through the use of a Syrian factory in the port of Novorossiysk but the production of drones is shifting to Russia, to the central Tartar region of Alabuga, although Tehran continues to supply the components.
It says the Iranian government is trying to “disassociate itself from providing Russia with weapons” and “cannot cope with Russian demand and the intensity of use in Ukraine”:
Key events
Daniel Boffey
Nearly 50 Russian companies involved in the extraction, processing, and sale of diamonds could be put under western sanctions under a proposal from the Ukrainian authorities.
A large number of the companies in line to be hit with economic restrictions have links to Alrosa, which controls more than 90% of diamond production in Russia, a third of the world’s total. Alrosa is already under sanction regimes operated by the US, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, among others
In 2022, Russia exported more than $3.8 billion worth of diamonds.
Some countries in the western sanctions coalition have banned the import of Russian diamonds, but the prohibition applies only to rough diamonds.
After being processed in third-world countries, mainly India and China, Russian diamonds receive the status of “mixed” and can be freely supplied to the markets of the G7 countries which comprises France, the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, plus the EU.
India, the United Arab Emirates, and Belgium are the three largest hubs where Russian diamonds can be transformed into “mixed” diamonds. The United States, China, and the EU are their largest consumers.
Ukraine’s national agency for the prevention of corruption has sent proposals to the security service of Ukraine and other responsible authorities to impose sanctions against Russian diamond companies, with the intention that western partners will reciprocate.
Summary of the day so far …
-
Russia’s military news outlet Zvezda on Wednesday published an interview with Black Sea fleet commander Viktor Sokolov, despite Ukraine claiming to have killed him in an attack on the fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol. “The Black Sea Fleet carries out the tasks set by the command confidently and successfully,” Sokolov says in the short video, wearing a military uniform. On Tuesday Russia’s defence ministry released footage showing Sokolov attending a defence board meeting via video call.
-
Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities are filled with European components, according to a secret document sent by Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in Russia, Iran and Syria. In a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine’s government to the G7 governments in August, it is claimed there were more than 600 raids on cities using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) containing western technology in the previous three months.
-
Ukraine’s security forces claim to have arrested two men in the Kyiv region who were assisting Russia. They cite an attack on the city on 21 September as one of the occasions on which the men helped Russia identify targets in the city. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the arrests as “a good signal to all traitors: there will be retribution.”
-
Scientists investigating the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines have revealed key new details of explosions linked to the event, which remains unsolved on its first anniversary. Researchers in Norway shared with the Guardian seismic evidence of the four explosions, becoming the first national body to publicly confirm the second two detonations, as well as revealing a detailed timeline of events.
-
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has announced on his Telegram channel that one person has been injured and hospitalised with shrapnel wounds after Ukrainin shelling of the village of Bolshetroitskoe.
-
The Russian-installed head of occupied Luhansk region has announced that three kindergartens and four schools in Krasnodon have switched to remote learning after the area came under fire.
-
Germany has welcomed a decision by Switzerland to open the way to sell back some of its German-made Leopard II tanks to help rebuild stocks depleted by aid to Ukraine. To comply with Swiss neutrality laws, Berlin has assured Berne the weapons would not go to Kyiv, but remain in Germany or with a Nato or EU ally.
-
Robert Telus, Poland’s agricultural minister, has said talks with Ukraine about grain imports are going in a good direction.
Ukraine has said it will not play in football tournaments involving Russian teams after soccer European governing body, Uefa, announced plans to reinstate Russia’s under-17 sides to European competitions.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) urged Uefa to reconsider its decision and urged other countries not to play against Russian teams.
Uefa said on Tuesday that “children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults”, and that Russian U-17 sides would be readmitted to UEFA competitions “in the course of this season”.
Reuters reports the UAF said the return of Russian teams to competitions “in the midst of hostilities conducted by the Russian Federation against Ukraine is groundless and such that it tolerates Russia’s aggressive policy.”
Ukraine’s sports ministry has barred Ukrainian national sports associations from sending delegations to compete at events where Russians or Belarusians were competing, however the men’s football team has been competing in qualification for Euro 2024, despite the fact that the Belarusian team is competing in a separate qualifying group
In a post on Telegram, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has commented on the arrest of people accused of helping Russia guide missile strikes on Kyiv. He wrote it was “a good signal to all traitors: there will be retribution.”
Ukraine’s security forces claim to have arrested two men in the Kyiv region who were assisting Russia. They cite an attack on the city on 21 September as one of the occasions on which the men helped Russia identify targets in the city.
Suspilne reports that in Donetsk region, Russia has attacked six cities and villages in the last 24 hours. It writes “the Russian army destroyed 22 residential buildings, a bus station, trade pavilions, an enterprise and a hangar.”
Black Sea fleet commander seen on video again
Pjotr Sauer
Russia’s military news outlet Zvezda on Wednesday published an interview with Black Sea fleet commander Viktor Sokolov, despite Ukraine claiming to have killed him in an attack on the fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol.
“The Black Sea Fleet carries out the tasks set by the command confidently and successfully,” Sokolov says in the short video, wearing a military uniform.
On Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry released footage showing Sokolov attending a defence board meeting via video call.
In response to the Russian video, Ukraine’s special forces appeared to backtrack their earlier claims that Sokolov was killed, writing on Telegram: “Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish a response with Sokolov allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information.”
Germany has welcomed a decision by Switzerland to open the way to sell back some of its German-made Leopard II tanks to help rebuild stocks depleted by aid to Ukraine.
Germany had asked Switzerland in February to sell back some of the 96 Leopard II tanks it has in storage to manufacturer Rheinmetall, Reuters reports.
To comply with Swiss neutrality laws, Berlin has assured Berne the weapons would not go to Kyiv, but remain in Germany or with a Nato or EU ally.
“We are very happy and grateful for this decision,” Michael Flügger, Germany’s ambassador to Switzerland told Swiss TV. “We need these tanks, they will fill gaps with us and our European partners.”
He was speaking after the Swiss parliament on Tuesday approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard II tanks, paving the way for them to be resold to Germany.
Requests from Germany, Denmark and Spain to allow Swiss-made weaponry they have previously bought to go to Ukraine have been blocked by Berne citing Swiss neutrality, which prevents weapons being sent directly or indirectly to combatants in a war.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has announced on his Telegram channel that one person has been injured and hospitalised with shrapnel wounds after Ukrainin shelling of the village of Bolshetroitskoe.
The Russian-installed head of occupied Luhansk region has announced that three kindergartens and four schools in Krasnodon have switched to remote learning after the area came under fire.
Tass quotes Leonid Pasechnik saying: “In order to ensure the safety of our children and the continuity of their educational process, it was decided to temporarily transfer three kindergartens and four schools in Krasnodon to distance learning. As soon as all the consequences are eliminated and the premises are restored, the children will return to classes.”
Reuters has a quick snap that Robert Telus, Poland’s agricultural minister, has said talks with Ukraine about grain imports are going in a good direction.
Relations between Poland and Ukraine have become strained over the accusation that cheap Ukrainian imports are undermining Poland’s agricultural sector, which has become a campaigning issue in Poland’s elections, which are due to be held mid-October.
Suspilne includes these details in its morning news round-up, writing on Telegram:
At night, Russian troops shelled the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region with heavy artillery: two people were injured. Six houses, a private enterprise, a car, power lines were damaged.
At about 5.00am, Russian military aircraft struck near Mykolaivka in the Kherson region. Information about the consequences of the attack is being clarified.
Yesterday, the Russian army shelled the Kherson region 119 times: 12 people were injured. The Zaporizhzhia region was attacked 130 times: one person died, another was wounded.
The claims have not been independently verified.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has conjectured that “a concerted new Russian offensive is less likely over the coming weeks”, based on its assessment that “Russia has highly likely committed elements of its new 25th Combined Arms Army (25 CAA) to action for the first time.”
It claims that “the formation started moving into Ukraine from late August 2023”, and: “Since the start of the invasion, Russia has only rarely maintained an uncommitted army-size grouping which could potentially form the basis of a major new offensive thrust.”
It goes on to add 25 CAA appears to have been “deployed piecemeal to reinforce the over-stretched line”.
Daniel Boffey
More now on the report on European components used in Shahed drones: Among the suggestions for action by Ukraine’s western allies – at which they would probably baulk – are “missile strikes on the production plants of these UAVs in Iran, Syria, as well as on a potential production site in the Russian federation”.
The document goes on: “The above may be carried out by the Ukrainian defence forces if partners provide the necessary means of destruction.”
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the western companies whose parts have been identified. “Iranian UAV production has adapted and mostly uses available commercial components, the supply of which is poorly or not controlled at all,” the report says.
Customs information is said by the Ukrainian report to show that “almost all the imports to Iran originated from Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Costa Rica”.
Sokolov situation ‘remains unclear’ says US thinktank
The US thinktank the Institute for the Study of War says it remains “unclear” whether or not the Russian Black Sea fleet commander Viktor Sokolov has been killed.
Russia’s defence ministry released footage showing Sokolov attending a defence board meeting via video call, a day after Ukraine claimed that Sokolov was killed in an attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol.
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reported that Ukraine’s special forces were “currently clarifying information regarding the possible death” of Sokolov.
“ISW is unprepared at this time to make an assessment about the authenticity of the Russian MoD’s footage of Sokolov or about Sokolov’s status on Earth,” the institute said.
Shahed drones contain European components, according to report
Daniel Boffey
Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities are filled with European components, according to a secret document sent by Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in Russia, Iran and Syria.
In a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine’s government to the G7 governments in August, it is claimed there were more than 600 raids on cities using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) containing western technology in the previous three months.
According to the report, obtained by the Guardian, 52 electrical components manufactured by western companies were found in the Shahed-131 drone and 57 in the Shahed-136 model, which has a flight range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and cruising speed of 180kmh (111mph).
Five European companies including a Polish subsidiary of a British multinational are named as the original manufacturers of the identified components.
“Among the manufacturers are companies headquartered in the countries of the sanctions coalition: the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland,” it claims.
According to the report, Iran has already diversified its production through the use of a Syrian factory in the port of Novorossiysk but the production of drones is shifting to Russia, to the central Tartar region of Alabuga, although Tehran continues to supply the components.
It says the Iranian government is trying to “disassociate itself from providing Russia with weapons” and “cannot cope with Russian demand and the intensity of use in Ukraine”:
Opening summary
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. This is Helen Sullivan with the latest.
Our top story this morning: Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities are filled with European components, according to a secret document sent by Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in Russia, Iran and Syria.
And the Institute for the Study of War, a US thinktank, writes in its daily report that it “remains unclear” whether the Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Commander Adm Viktor Sokolov, who Ukraine claimed to have killed, is alive or dead.
Russia’s defence ministry released footage showing Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Black Sea fleet, attending a defence board meeting via video call, a day after Ukraine claimed that Sokolov was killed in an attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol.
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reported that Ukraine’s special forces were “currently clarifying information regarding the possible death” of Sokolov.
More shortly. Elsewhere meanwhile:
-
Scientists investigating the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines have revealed key new details of explosions linked to the event, which remains unsolved on its first anniversary. Researchers in Norway shared with the Guardian seismic evidence of the four explosions, becoming the first national body to publicly confirm the second two detonations, as well as revealing a detailed timeline of events.
-
The European Union must begin a major wave of change to prepare for the arrival of Ukraine as a member state, the leader of its parliament has said. Roberta Metsola told the Guardian said she expected member states to begin formal negotiations with Ukraine as soon as December.
-
Turkey’s parliament will keep its promise to ratify Sweden’s Nato bid if US president Joe Biden’s administration paves the way for F-16 jet sales to Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, according to Turkish media.
-
An overnight Russian airstrike on the key Ukrainian grain exporting port of Izmail injured two people and damaged infrastructure, the governor of the Odesa region said on Tuesday. A port building, storage facilities and more than 30 trucks and cars were damaged in the attack, which lasted more than two hours, Oleh Kiper said, while the ferry service with Romania was also closed.
-
The Ukrainian military reported shooting down 26 of the 38 Iranian-made attack drones it said were launched by Russia. Separately on Tuesday, a Russian missile strike also damaged a local enterprise in the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, its mayor, Oleksandr Vilkul, said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
-
Ukrainian troops have “enjoyed success” by villages near Bakhmut, a key city seized by Russian forces in May, Ilia Yevlash, spokesperson for forces in the east, told national television. A spokesperson for troops in the south, Oleksandr Shtupun, meanwhile told the news site Espreso TV that Ukrainian troops were digging in and poised to move on the village of Verbove as part of their advance to the Sea of Azov. Russian troops were bringing in reserves. “I believe we will soon have good news,” Shtupun said.
-
A cargo vessel left a Ukrainian Black Sea port on Tuesday, an industry source told Reuters, without giving any further details. Kyiv has tried to establish a temporary “humanitarian corridor” hugging the coastline, and two bulk carriers left the port of Chornomorsk last week using it. In July the UN and Turkey-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea collapsed after Russia withdrew.
