Ukrainian President's Adviser Asks Vampire to Confront Russia's Iran-Made Shahed Drone

Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podolyak's adviser. 9Twitter/@Podolyak_M)

JAKARTA - A senior Ukrainian official on Monday called for a review of Western anti-aircraft systems supplied to Ukraine, saying simpler and cheaper weapons could be more cost-effective against Russia's Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Shahed drones are deployed in Russian attacks almost every day. Ukraine has become adept at dropping such weapons, although some of them still hit residential and residential targets, despite assurances from Moscow that the strikes do not target civilians.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the issue was not just about securing more anti-aircraft systems, "but primarily solving the mathematical problems that lie in the economics of war".

He explained that although Western systems, such as NASAMS and Iris-T, are used to drop missiles, using them to intercept the Shahed might be a waste, Podolyak wrote on the X platform.

"Thus, this leads to depletion of allied supplies and long-term weakening," wrote Podolyak, reported by Reuters, October 3.

"The solution is clear, in addition to large-caliber mobile machine guns, there are many simpler and cheaper anti-aircraft systems available today that have proven effective against the Shahed. These include the Gepard and Vampire," he explained.

The Gepard is a German anti-aircraft gun tank. Meanwhile, the American-made Vampire anti-drone system consists of a laser-guided missile launcher that can be mounted on a truck bed.

Such a reduction in scale, Podolyak wrote, "would minimize the impact of Russia's 'strike' and ensure long-term stability in the skies of Ukraine and our NATO neighbors."

It is known that Ukraine relies heavily on arms supplies from Western countries in the face of Russia's 19-month invasion, as well as in launching a counteroffensive in June aimed at reclaiming around 18 percent of its territory controlled by Moscow's forces.

Meanwhile, President Zelensky and other officials in recent weeks have stressed the importance of developing Ukraine's arms industry, to jointly develop weapons with Western companies.