Russia has “almost exhausted” its stockpile of Iranian drones used to attack Ukrainian power plants.

Russia has run out of stocks of Iranian drones it uses to spread terror in Ukraine, the UK MoD has said.

Since October 10, Russia has launched six massive airstrikes against Ukraine’s power grid and other infrastructure, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses and strike deep into Kiev.

Analysts believe Moscow deployed the drones to make up for a shortage of cruise missiles after it launched thousands of strikes in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his brutal invasion of the country on February 24.

But now, after hundreds of strikes have been carried out with Shahed-136 “suicide drones” from Iran, the British MoD has said Russia’s stockpile of unmanned aircraft is also running out.

In its Wednesday update, the Defense Ministry also said that after targeting military targets with the drones as well as Ukraine’s energy grid, Russian commanders now appear to be prioritizing medical facilities as targets for their drone arsenal.

The update came shortly after a newborn baby was killed in a Russian attack on a maternity ward in the city of Vilniansk, in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, which Moscow has reportedly annexed.

“Since September, Russia has probably fired hundreds of Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukraine,” the Defense Ministry said in an update on Wednesday. “It is a mix of One-Way-Attack (OWA) UAVs and more traditional, reusable weapon systems,” it said.

Russia has used these weapons extensively against tactical military targets and the Ukrainian power grid. Recently, Russian commanders likely also wanted UAVs of Iranian origin to prioritize medical facilities as opportunities and attack them with guided munitions if identified,” the update added.

The Defense Ministry said that Russia “probably developed the UAV campaign to make up for its severe shortage of cruise missiles” but that the approach had “limited success”.

“Most of the launched UAVs have been neutralized,” it noted. No OWA UAVS strikes have been published since approximately 17 November 2022.”

While the update offers hope that the frequency of drone strikes may decrease, the defense ministry added that Russia could likely buy more of the deadly devices from abroad.

“Russia is likely close to exhausting its current stockpile, but will likely start looking for supplies,” it said, warning that “Russia could probably obtain UAVs from abroad faster than it can domestically produce new cruise missiles.”

Since October 10, Russia has launched six massive airstrikes against Ukraine’s power grid and other infrastructure, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. Pictured: Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian drone strike in Kiev on October 17

Pictured: Police officers shoot at a drone believed by local authorities to be Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during a Russian drone strike during Russia’s attack on Ukraine on October 17, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine

Smoke rises after an attack by Russian drones, which local authorities believe are Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Shahed-136, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Kiev

Russia’s use of Shahed-136 “suicide” drones was first reported in October, when Moscow launched a wave of attacks on cities across Ukraine.

Ukraine has accused Russia of launching the drones from Moscow’s ally and neighbor Belarus, while the West has accused Iran of supplying Russia with the weapons.

Tehran has denied delivering the drones to Moscow despite the evidence.

Ukrainians who have seen drone strikes say they make a recognizable sound and have described them as sounding like “motorcycles” in the air, with some soldiers calling them “the flying lawnmower”.

While the drones can destroy their targets, soldiers said they are vulnerable to gunfire. Photos from Kiev even show police officers shooting them.

“This is a primitive hand-made product,” Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, told Radio Free Europe (RFE) in October.

Pictured: A residential building destroyed by a drone strike is seen in Russia on October 17

Pictured: The wreckage of what Kyiv said was an Iranian Shahed drone shot down near Kupiansk in Ukraine

Iranian Shahed-136 UAVs: facts and figures

Ukraine has accused Russia of using Iranian-made Shahed-136 UAVs – also known as suicide drones – against military and civilian targets.

Tehran has denied selling the drones to Russia, but evidence is mounting that Moscow is using the weapon.

Here are some facts and figures about the deadly drone:

• Weapon Type: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
• In service since: 2021
• Made in: Iran
• Creator: HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation)
• Weight: 440 pounds
• Warhead: 80 pounds
• Length: 12 feet
• Extent: 8 feet
• Area: 600 miles
• flight height: 13,000 feet maximum.
• Speed: 120 miles per hour
• Use in: Yemen, Iraq and Ukraine

“It’s not that high-tech assembly line production [Turkish-made] Bayraktar or American and Israeli [unmanned aerial vehicles],’ he added.

Residents of Ukraine described the drone strikes to RFE. “You can hear the roar. At first I just heard them, but then I saw one fly by and then explode,” one man said.

Another said: “There was a buzzing that woke me up. I remember thinking, “What is this?” The sound got closer and then there was an explosion near the house.’

According to reports, the first recorded use of the drones in Yemen was in Houthi-controlled areas.

Ukrainian military officials say the drones are cheaper and less sophisticated than cruise missiles, but can have similar devastating effects on their target.

At nearly 10 feet long, the Shahed 136 has a delta wing shape with stabilizing fins on top of the aircraft. The fuselage sits in the center of the drone and transitions into nearly four-foot wings, giving it an elegant shape.

The explosives are located in the drone’s nose, as is the technology that guides them to their targets for an accurate strike. The engine, on the other hand, is located at the rear of the drone and drives two propellers.

It has been compared to an engine you would find on a lawnmower or moped.

Overall, the drone weighs 440 pounds and can fly at speeds close to 200 miles per hour.

To overwhelm air defenses, several drones (groups of five and more) are launched simultaneously from the same rack. They are fired almost horizontally with rocket launch support.

The rocket is jettisoned upon launch and the engine takes over once airborne.

Pictured: Defense Department intelligence update from Nov. 23 stating that Russia is running out of Iranian-built drones

The Defense Department update came after the US military said Tuesday that debris analysis concluded that the same type of Iranian drone was used to attack a commercial tanker off the coast of Oman a week ago.

The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, has released photos and details of its investigation into the attack on the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon tanker, including debris from the Shahed-136 drone itself.

In a statement, the Navy said the drone tore a 30-inch wide hole in the ship’s stern and the explosive impact damaged a ship’s boiler, drinking water tank and life raft.

“The Iranian attack on a commercial tanker navigating international waters was premeditated, heinous and dangerous, endangering the lives of its crew and destabilizing maritime security in the Middle East,” Vice Admiral said.

So said Brad Cooper, the supreme commander of the US Navy in the Middle East.

In recent years, attacks on tankers in the Gulf waters have come at a time of heightened regional tensions with Iran.

In July 2021, a suspected drone strike hit a petroleum products tanker operated by an Israeli company off the coast of Oman. Iran has denied allegations of responsibility.