(gun firing)
- [Narrator] This video provided by Kyiv Police
shows officers shooting at drones
flying over the city in mid-October.
The weapons can be seen in multiple videos.
Here, the device nose dives and explodes
near residential buildings.
Several people were killed in the attacks that day.
Independent experts who analyzed images from Ukraine
say Russia has been using drones provided by Iran;
the Shahed-136 and its smaller version, the Shahed-131.
(Zelensky speaking in foreign language)
Ukraine is calling for new sanctions
and Western countries say these drones show
Iran's direct involvement in the war.
After initially denying it,
Iran acknowledged sending some unmanned aerial vehicles,
or UAVs, to Russia before the invasion.
Moscow has repeatedly denied using the Iranian weapons,
but there are three types of clues
that confirm their origin:
the design, the way they move,
and the internal components found among debris
by Ukrainian forces.
First, let's take a closer look at the structure
of the Iranian Shahed-131 and 136.
They have a triangular shape with wings
and an arrow like extension where the warhead is located.
(Shahed swooshing)
The weapons, one of which is seen here
in Iranian Defense Ministry footage,
are self-destructing and designed for one time use.
Meaning after a strike, they leave behind debris.
These photos taken by the news agency Reuters
show drone wreckage after an attack
on a fuel storage facility in Kharkiv.
We ask analysts, including a drone expert
from the American organization CNA,
to review the images.
They said these markings, likely identification numbers,
are similar to those that can be seen
in Iranian handoff footage of these drills.
The debris found in Ukraine also have
some Russian lettering.
The letters can be seen on the tips of the wings,
which appear to have the same shape and structure
as the Iranian drones.
In addition to their appearance,
analysts say the way Shahed-136 and 131 drones move
is a distinct characteristic.
Here's that footage from Iran's Defense Ministry,
showing one of those drones taking a sharp angle
before hitting a target.
In a video posted to social media
from an October 17th attack in Kyiv
and verified by the news agency Storyful,
the drone can be seen taking a similar sharp tilt
before it's obscured behind a building.
Another video filmed in Kyiv on the same day
shows a similar nose dive maneuver before an explosion.
(gentle music)
Key clues can also be found by looking
at the internal components of these drones.
On the right side is a photo that,
according to Israeli intelligence,
shows the engine of the Shahed-136 drone
being displayed in Iran in October 2014.
We couldn't independently verify the image.
The analyst told us it looks consistent
with what Iran has disclosed.
And on the left is a Reuter's photo that shows
an engine recovered from a strike in Ukraine
in October 2022.
Experts who review these images say
they both appear to be Mado MD550S,
the model that's used in Shahed-136 Iranian drones.
The copper color rotors and general structure
are very similar.
Other internal components of drones found in Ukraine
can be linked to Iranian manufacturers,
according to Conflict Armament Research,
a private UK organization that tracks illicit
arms and conflict zones.
This panel, seen in a photo of debris
taken at the site of a strike in Ukraine,
contains the same layering of materials
as in other Iranian made UAVs,
according to the group.
The group says this honeycomb meshing
is distinctive of Iranian drones they've documented.
It's this part sitting between two layers of fiberglass
which is meant to strengthen the body of the weapon
without adding too much weight.
Other Iranian characteristics include
handwritten serialization numbers
and stickers that can be seen on the same panel,
said experts who viewed the pictures.
Russia says it uses its own drones in Ukraine,
but none of the known models made in Russia
have the same characteristics as the drones seen
in the Kyiv strikes, according to analysts.
The only self-destructing drone of similar shape
that's produced in Russia is called KUB.
It can be seen in this Russian handout footage.
KUB drones couldn't be used in the strikes
on Kyiv in October, analyst say,
because they can't travel farther than roughly 40 miles,
and Russian forces were stationed
more than a hundred miles away from Kyiv on October 17th.
In comparison, the Shahed drones have a range
of at least 550 miles, according to Iran.
The KUB is also smaller than the drones
Ukrainian officials say were found in Ukraine.
This still image of Russian military footage
shows the scale of a KUB,
whereas this is the size of the drones found in Ukraine
as seen in footage from Ukrainian officials,
as well as images of debris found in Kharkiv.
(gentle music)
Ukrainian officials say Russia has launched
more than 300 Iranian drones
targeting civilian buildings,
as well as key energy infrastructure,
causing blackouts and concerns about heating
ahead of winter.
Kyiv says it was able to shoot down many drones,
but is asking for more help from the West.
Russia's Ministry of Defense didn't respond
to a request for comment about the use
of Iranian-made drones in the war.
- We're also working together to impose sanctions
on those supporting President Putin's war.
That includes Iran.
- [Narrator] The European Union has already imposed
new sanctions on Iran,
and the US has hinted at more penalties in the future.
But these attacks also highlight that despite sanctions,
in recent years, Iran has built one of the world's
most successful drone fleets.
(gentle music)