Kyiv Attacked by the 'Kamikaze' Drone, Ukrainian Official: Russia Thinks It Helps, But Shows Desperation

Andrii Yermak. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidentt.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Russia attacked Kyiv with 'kamikaze' drones on Monday morning, according to a top Ukrainian official, again calling on Western allies to supply the country with more sophisticated air defense systems.

"Russia thinks it will help them, but this act shows desperation," Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, said in a statement cited from CNN, October 17.

"We need more air defenses as soon as possible. We don't have time to delay. We need more weapons to protect the skies and destroy the enemy."

In a separate Telegram message, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the drone strike caused a fire in a non-residential building.

"Firefighters are at work. Several residential buildings have been damaged. Medics are on the scene," Klitschko said.

Earlier, about three explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital at around 06:45 local time on Monday as a result of the Russian attack.

Illustration of the Shahed 121 (left) and Shahed 129 drones and Iran's Sadid 345 guided bomb. (Wikimedia Commons/Fars Media Corporation/Meysan Mah'abadi

Ukraine has repeatedly asked its allies to supply more air defense systems and ammunition, after Russia increased its use of "kamikaze drones" in its brutal offensive against the country.

Kyiv said Moscow had used Iranian-supplied kamikaze drones in attacks on Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and other cities across Ukraine in recent weeks, pleading with Western countries to step up their assistance in the face of new challenges.

Meanwhile, drones have played an important role in the conflict since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February. However, their use has increased since Moscow acquired new drones from Iran over the summer.

Kamikaze drones, or suicide drones, are a type of aerial weapon system. They are known as loitering munitions, as they are able to wait a while in an area identified as a potential target and only attack once an enemy asset is identified.

They are small, portable and can be easily launched, but their main advantage is that they are difficult to detect and can be fired from long distances.

The name "kamikaze" refers to the fact that the drone is disposable. They are designed to strike behind enemy lines and be destroyed in the attack — unlike the more traditional, larger and faster military drones, which return home after dropping missiles.

The Ukrainian military and US intelligence say Russia is using an Iranian-made attack drone. US officials told CNN in July that Iran had started showing off the Shahed series drones to Russia at Kashan Airfield south of Tehran the previous month. The drone is capable of carrying precision-guided missiles and has a payload of about 50 kilograms (110 pounds).

In August, US officials said Russia had purchased these drones and trained its troops how to use them. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has ordered 2.400 Shahed-136 drones from Iran.