Ukraine's President's Office notes Russia used "cheap version of Shahed drone" in night attack

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Advisor to the Head of the President's Office, reported that the Russians attacked Ukraine with a new type of drone called the Gerbera on the night of 30-31 July. It has minimal components and resembles an "economy version of a Shahed drone." The Air Force noted that "this doesn't change anything," as "everything needs to be destroyed using all available means."

Source: Vladyslav Vlasiuk on Facebook

Quote: "The feature of tonight's Shahed attack [the night of 30-31 July] is the cautious and limited use of the new type of drone, the Gerbera. It hasn't been duly examined yet, but it looks like an economy version of a Shahed drone. Plywood instead of composite materials, minimal components, and still the same cheap made-in-China quality."

Details: At the same time, Yurii Ihnat, former spokesman for Ukraine's Air Force, noted that during nighttime attacks, the Russians often use various types of drones: primarily Shahed 136/131 drones, as well as UAVs of undetermined types and decoys (false targets). Thus, the Russians are constantly improving their tactics, and new types of aerial targets may appear.

Quote from Ihnat: "The Air Force has repeatedly reported such uses in official briefings and comments. So there is nothing new. It is likely that tonight, among the remains of Shahed drones, we will find attack drones of other types. This doesn’t change anything – everything needs to be destroyed by using all available assets; the key is to be effective and efficient.

During nighttime air defence operations, the type of target is determined by its parameters: altitude, speed, etc., as well as by visual and acoustic data. It is possible to accurately identify what type of drone or missile it is only after examining the wreckage."

Background:

• Russian forces attacked Ukraine with a Kh-59 guided missile and 89 Shahed attack UAVs on the night of 30-31 July, and all air targets were destroyed by Ukrainian air defence.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the successful downing of all 89 Russian Shahed drones on the night of July 30-31 shows that Ukraine can effectively defend its airspace from Russian strikes as long as there's enough supplies of anti-air ammunition.

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