Posted on 10/17/2022 4:38:03 AM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
KYIV – Russia launched its first-ever attack on the Ukrainian capital using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones early on Oct. 17, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. Information on casualties is not yet available.
A fire broke out in a non-residential building in the central Shevchenkivskyi district while several residential buildings were damaged, according to the mayor.
According to the President's Office, three people were killed as a result of the attack on a residential building.
“Enemies can attack our cities, but they won't break us,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.
The drone attack comes exactly a week after Russia’s massive barrage of missile strikes during Monday rush hour claimed at least 20 lives nationwide. Kyiv was among the cities hit, breaking the relative peace the capital’s residents had enjoyed since the last missile strike in late June.
Kamikaze drones struck Kyiv Oblast for the first time on Oct. 5, hitting an undisclosed building in Bila Tserkva, located some 75 kilometers south of the capital. Until today, Kyiv had remained untouched by the Iranian-made drones that Russia has increasingly used to strike targets across Ukraine.
Iranian-made drones
Cheaper than cruise missiles, Russia has intensified its attacks using kamikaze drones in recent weeks against Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, and other cities across Ukraine.
Russia is increasingly relying on loitering munitions to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructures.
Earlier last week, the Russian-operated drones struck the same thermal plant in western Vinnytsia Oblast on Oct. 10 and 11, energy company DTEK said. Moscow openly admitted that Ukraine's energy infrastructures are among its key "designated targets."
Russia also launched several attacks on Odesa's city center, forcing residents to run to nearby underground shelters.
Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi said northeastern Sumy Oblast and central Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were also attacked by the drones this morning.
Of the 43 Russian-operated kamikaze drones that attacked Ukraine, 37 were downed, air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on Oct. 17.
On Oct. 16, Ukraine downed 11 kamikaze drones within an hour. Ukraine is shooting down around 75% of kamikaze drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Ukraine and the U.S. have accused Iran of supplying weapons to Russia.
The Washington Post reported, citing U.S. officials, that Russian cargo planes carrying combat drones left Tehran in mid-August. The Iranian Foreign Ministry, on Oct. 15, once again denied allegations, and Russia has not commented. Kyiv has presented parts of the Russian-used Iranian drones downed over Ukraine.
The U.K. intelligence said the Iranian drones are "slow and fly at low altitudes" with a small explosive payload, unable to fulfill "the deep strike function which Russia probably aspired to use it for."
While it's not exactly clear how many more of such drones Russia still possesses, President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Moscow ordered 2,400 pieces of kamikaze drones from Iran, citing Kyiv's intelligence. EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the topic at a meeting in Luxembourg on Oct. 17.
I wonder if anyone has thought about the Russians being mobilized are to replace regular Russian Army units from around the country, in the east where little chance of invasion is possible and are being sent to the Ukrainian Front.
It stands to reason that Russia has troops all over the country, especially in the far east that could be redeployed to Ukraine and these conscripts will be used to replace those units and not sent to Ukraine as cannon fodder.
>>Vlad spends pennies, the West billions.
Guess who runs out of money and equipment first?<<
The winner is the side which doesn’t run out of resources first.
Yes, and the US/NATO will obey their globalist masters to push ahead in this proxy war to WWIII.
Mors Vincit Omnia, is their motto - Death Conquers All.
I know pathetic. Did Putler run out of playgrounds to hit?
The story said the target was non-residential.
On Free Republic, the Russophiles applaud the terrorism
Defeat on the battlefield forces Putin to make a Kim like show
It’s hard to believe American Conservatives are supporting the Mad Mullahs of Iran and Iranian weaponry.
Regardless of how you feel about globalism and the Left, this is awful.
To the Ukraine—let Russia keep Donbass. Negotiate now and let this pyrrhic victory of the Russians stand. They didn’t get their way at all, lost massive amounts of lives and treasure, proved their incompetence, and you’d be better off without having to contend with people who don’t want to be Ukrainians.
i suspect it is coming, but it is likely precision missiles.
Thousands of Russian speaking Ukrainians are fighting fiercely to free their hometowns from the Russian pigs. The civilians are suffering terribly. The Donbas is Ukraine.
“The joy people seem to have for the death and destruction says volumes. Russia started this even if Ukraine joined NATO. Who out there besides Putin thinks that NATO would attack Russia.
This is all about Putin and people taking joy in the suffering of Ukrainians is sad.”
Putin has said from Day One that Ukraine in NATO was completely unacceptable. Why did no one believe him? Parts of Ukraine decided to break away and join Russia after the US led revolution? Why not let them go?
“The fact that Russia is activating T-62s and buying munitions from Iran and possibly Korea mobilizing 1000s of Russians to continue the “special operation” also speaks volumes about Russia’s military situation. Will this all result in the destruction and occupation of Ukraine seems likely but for what cost.”
While Uncle Sugar and the West send Billion$ to the grifter Zelensky in Ukraine?
Gee, isn’t war by proxy fun! And PROFITABLE! We can give our munitions to the Ukies until we have to replenish our own stocks, then spend Billion$ rebuilding our stocks while spending MORE Billion$ giving munitions to the Ukies.
“The world has gone mad once again”
You fail to realize that madness is the natural state of the world.
The moments of peace and sanity are the unnatural state of the world.
Just look at history. Mankind has spent more time at war, preparing for war or recovering from war.
These are more like the V-1 Buzz Bombs that caused more damage than the V-2s. But most of all they provided a terror element that effected war production. Everyone would stop doing what ever they were to listen for the buzz—if it stopped—it was coming down! As a psychological weapon they are effective. Note; they will start to send them at night soon to make them harder to bring them down.
So “a small explosive payload” is good.
But how are they being shot down?
I’m concerned that drones may be cheaper than the weapons used to down them.
Which is great when Ukraine is using drones. Not so great when Russia uses them.
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Energy infrastructure within Russia should be a legitimate target since Russia is targeting Ukraines.
Ukraine already took out the thermal plant in Belgorod.
I think Ukraine should waste a missile hitting a target near the Nuke plants east of Moscow. Just a warning shot, that Ukraine can do the same to Russia that Russia has been doing to Ukraine.
I want to take this opportunity to personally thank the Iranian government officials that made this so. Thank you and may God bless you.
for that to work, Ukraine needs some kind of security guarantee, cuz you know Russia is just gonna attack them again in the future
so maybe the deal should even include partial de-militarization of Russia
Neocons??!!! Russia invaded Ukraine. It seems they wanted war. Death to the invaders! Glory to Ukraine!
I wonder how many Iraqis were killed on the first day of GW1 not from our bombs and missiles but from all the AAA and SAMs that fell back to earth.
“The best way for Putin to hold on to power is to end his invasion today. He could declare victory regarding the defense of Donbas, and then order his diplomats to settle into a long negotiation about the borders and political rights of those living in Donbas. Most Russians — elites and the masses — would support him. Fanatic imperialists do not have the means or popular appeal to overthrow Putin. That is pure fantasy.”
~ Michael McFaul
Maybe.
But after the Winter War of 1940, the Russians still have an unnatural fear of the Finns, even to this day.
That just might be the legacy of the SMO of 2022... Fear of Ukraine.
Interesting that Iran could make something so cheap and clever as these drones. They are an ally of Russia (as is China and Syria as well as North Korea). If this thing goes hot—these nations may go into the fight and they will not be alone. Lots of Nations do not like the USA and will see this as a chance to get some payback. Even in Europe where NATO is becoming less and less popular. The old cold war alliance is showing its age. Many (like Serbia) support Russia, not Ukraine. How many Europeans wish to die for Ukraine? None in France so it seems.
While Russia is beefing up its forces in Belarus, the Supreme Russian Commander for military operations in Ukraine, General Surovikin, made the following comment in recent days:
I don’t want to sacrifice the lives of the Russian soldiers in a partisan war of hoards of fanatics armed by NATO.
We’ve got enough power and technical means to lead Ukraine to total capitulation.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses/11836
In other words, the General, knowing the capability of the forces under his command and knowing the missions he and his staff are planning for them, is confident he has the means to force the surrender of Ukraine. No mention of negotiations. The word, “capitulation” is not ambiguous in its meaning.
There is another possibility to entertain–this is an elaborate feint by Russia designed to force Ukraine to deploy already weakened forces to the northern border to defend against a possible invasion from the north. This will make it difficult, if not impossible, for Ukraine to send reinforcements to the south in a timely manner if Russia decides to launch an offensive to clear out the Donetsk Republic or attack Nikolayev.
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