TOPIC: drone attack

Up Close With The "Beaver" Drones Leading Ukraine's Airborne Counteroffensive

In recent days, multiple drone attacks targeted and hit skyscrapers in Moscow's business district. These strikes are thought to have been led by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reportedly belonging to a new category of "Beaver" drones. Here's what we know about them.

MOSCOW — Earlier this week, drones hit the high-rise block where Russia's federal ministries are located. In this latest attack, offices for the Ministry of Economic Development were damaged, with windows blown in. And although the Russian army claims that the drones can be jammed with radio waves, the strikes still succeeded in damaging the building’s facades and interior.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

On Wednesday, Aug. 2, Russia retaliated with a drone attack of its own — on a Ukrainian port at Izmail in Odessa, damaging a grain warehouse, a passenger building and an elevator for loading grain.

Newsweek magazine writes that the Ukrainian attacks were carried out by the latest generation of Ukrainian drones known as "Beaver". Justin Bronk, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), compared said Beaver drone to the Iranian Shahed drones that Russia used in its attacks on Ukrainian cities: the Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have a comparable weight and size and flight range (1,000km), but a larger wingspan.

Analysts note that as it stands, it is unclear whether the Beaver UAV can cope with electronic warfare systems and interference as effectively as the Iranian Shaheds, which have several types of navigation.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Pierre Haski

Drones On Moscow: Vladimir Putin On The Defensive Like Never Before

In another scenario, Putin could be bragging about Russia's control of Bakhmut after nearly a year of fighting, and the bombing of the Ukrainian Intelligence’s headquarters, which was recently acknowledged by Kyiv. But instead he must retreat to the ultimate home front after drone attacks in the capital.

-Analysis-

PARIS — In February of last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin dubbed his invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation,” he was telling Russians that it would be over quickly. Now, 15 months later, drones are striking apartment buildings in Moscow, bringing a whiff of war to inhabitants of the Russian capital, who had so far thought they’d been spared.

The psychological shock is far greater than the military impact.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

It is a symbol of the failure of the Russian president’s Ukraine campaign. Pro-war nationalist bloggers were quick to criticize the lack of air defense, which allowed the drones to strike Moscow. But if they had really wanted to taunt the government, they could have compared it with the performance of the Ukrainian air defense which, thanks to Western equipment, knocks down most of the Russian drones and missiles fired at Kyiv.

In the same vein, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary outfit Wagner and rival to Russia's military commanders, commented on his Telegram channel: “The people have a right to ask these questions," and, in a message aimed at the military establishment, added a pointed note: “May your houses burn."

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Pierre Haski

Escalation Spark: How The Kremlin Drone Attack Could Reshape The War In Ukraine

Moscow is accusing Kyiv of trying to assassinate Putin in a drone strike on the Kremlin. It will likely be used as a pretext for Putin to escalate attacks.

-Analysis-

PARIS — It is the most mysterious episode since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine 14 months ago. It's also bound to shape the outcome of the war, at what is already a decisive moment.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Vladimir Putin during a drone attack on the Kremlin. The two drones were destroyed over the historic building complex of Red Square in Moscow. The Russian spokesperson declared that there would be retaliation, and that Russia would decide when and how.

Ukraine has categorically denied any responsibility. Indeed, Kyiv would deny it even if it was behind the operation, especially if it failed. Nevertheless, there are several inconsistencies to the Russian version of events.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Valentyna Romanenko, Oleksandr Shumilin

The Kremlin Drone Attack Is Linked To Ukraine’s Counter-Offensive — No Matter Who Did It

Whether Ukraine or Russia is behind the clamorous attack on the Kremlin, which Moscow says was an assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin, it is bound to shape the imminent counter-offensive.

This article has been updated May 3, at 8:45 p.m. CET, with Zelensky quote and additional background

-Analysis-

KYIV — The stakes could not be higher. The alleged drone attack on the Kremlin — whether Kyiv or Moscow ordered it — means that the Russia-Ukraine war is reaching a new level.

A video began circulating Wednesday afternoon of what the Russian authorities said were two Ukrainian drones that "tried to strike" the Kremlin residence and assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader was not on the premises, and no injuries or material damage was reported.

The Kremlin called the attack a "planned terrorist act" and "an attempt on the life of the President of Russia,” adding that "the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."

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Geopolitics

Pierre Haski

How A Drone Strike Inside Iran Exposes The Regime's Vulnerability — On All Fronts

It is still not clear what was the exact target of an attack by three armed drones Saturday night on an arms factory in central Iran. But it comes as Tehran authorities appear increasingly vulnerable to both its foreign and domestic enemies, with more attacks increasingly likely.

-Analysis-

PARIS — It's the kind of incident that momentarily reveals the shadow wars that are part of the Middle East. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack by three armed drones Saturday night on an arms factory complex north of Isfahan in central Iran.

But the explosion was so strong that it set off a small earthquake. Iranian authorities have played down the damage, as we might expect, and claim to have shot down the drones.

Nevertheless, three armed drones reaching the center of Iran, buzzing right up to weapons factories, is anything but ordinary in light of recent events. Iran is at the crossroads of several crises: from the war in Ukraine where it's been supplying drones to Russia to its nuclear development arriving at the moment of truth; from regional wars of influence to the anti-government uprising of Iranian youth.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

That leaves us spoiled for choice when it comes to possible interpretations of this act of war against Iran, which likely is a precursor to plenty of others to follow.

Iranian authorities, in their comments, blame the United States and Israel for the aggression. These are the two usual suspects for Tehran, and it is not surprising that they are at the top of the list.

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In The News

Anna Akage

600 Miles To Moscow? Attack? Defend? What Ukraine’s Drone Strikes In Russia Really Mean

As they’ve done for the past year, Ukrainians have spent the past three days studying maps and calculating distances. But there's a difference now: The maps are of Russia.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

The unprecedented drone attacks this week of airfields deep inside Russian territory open a new phase in the war that is both tactical and symbolic. Though still without official confirmation from Kyiv, nobody doubts that the Ukrainian military executed the three strikes between Monday and Tuesday hundreds of kilometers inside Russia, which killed three and injured at least nine, including the strategic military air base of Engels.

Alexander Kovalenko, a Ukrainian military and political observer of the Information Resistance group, writes on his Telegram channel: "International war observers have seen that regardless of what struck the Russian airfields, it bypassed the lauded Russian air defense system and accomplished the task," he said. "They see not only that the supposed No. 2 military in the world not only drags old T-62 tanks and D-1 howitzers into the combat zone in Ukraine, but that it essentially has no air defense."

French weekly magazine L’Express declared: “Ukraine wants to show that Russian territory is not safe.”

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TOPIC: drone attack

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In recent days, multiple drone attacks targeted and hit skyscrapers in Moscow's business district. These strikes are thought to have been led by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reportedly belonging to a new category of "Beaver" drones. Here's what we know about them.

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Moscow is accusing Kyiv of trying to assassinate Putin in a drone strike on the Kremlin. It will likely be used as a pretext for Putin to escalate attacks.

Pretext for Putin

Ukraine's counteroffensive

Whether Ukraine or Russia is behind the clamorous attack on the Kremlin, which Moscow says was an assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin, it is bound to shape the imminent counter-offensive.

Ukraine's position on the attack

A pretext for Moscow?

It is still not clear what was the exact target of an attack by three armed drones Saturday night on an arms factory in central Iran. But it comes as Tehran authorities appear increasingly vulnerable to both its foreign and domestic enemies, with more attacks increasingly likely.

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