Shahed drones seem impervious to diplomacy. While negotiators in the Oval Office have been hinting at the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones – also called “Geran-2” by the Russians – continue to strike Ukrainian towns and cities relentlessly. The Ukrainian ministry of defence reported that 546 drones fell on cities in western Ukraine the night of August 20. For Ukrainian civilians, this drone, which has a range of between 1,700 and 2,500 kilometres, is the main threat. For the Russians, Shahed drones are a means of pressure unlike any other, which is why the Russian army has been secretly building purpose-built airports for mass drone launches.

Russians have been using Shahed drones against Ukraine since October 2022: they are cheap, easy to make, and easy to use. The Shahed-136 can reach a maximum speed of 180 km/h and explodes when it rams its target. While the drone is slower than a missile, it is easier to use. It’s also easier to launch. In fact, it is possible to launch several drones from the bed of a large truck or from a simple ramp set on the ground. You can also fire one from a simple pickup or 4x4.

However, the real strength of this drone lies in just how many can be produced. Depending on the model and the specifications, one of these drones can cost between $20,000 and $50,000. In comparison, the cost of a 9M728 Iskander K cruise missile is between $1 million and $2 million. Because the drones are so cheap, Russia can keep them coming off the production line at a steady rate.

Russia has been mass-producing Shahed drones since 2023. Though Russia still does need to import Chinese and sometimes Iranian components, they have been able to largely produce them self-sufficiently. Russian launches of Shahed drones went from 200 a week in 2024 to more than one thousand a week in 2025, according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

‘You can’t sleep, because you know the threat that is facing you’ 

These drones are frequently used in attacks on civilian infrastructure, sometimes causing civilian deaths. These incessant raids have a big impact on the morale of the population, as explained one person living in central Ukraine who wanted to remain anonymous:

"If a drone flies over my city, I can hear it, even from far away. It sounds like a loud motorcycle whose exhaust pipe has been removed. The air raid alerts are activated, and you can’t get back to sleep because you know the threat that is facing you and your loved ones. The Shaheds attack Ukraine day and night. While I’ve been speaking to you, we got an air raid alert, and it was just cancelled. When it comes to the children, everything depends on how the adults are acting. We do everything we can to ensure the children stay asleep."

Waves of hundreds of drones to ‘saturate’ Ukrainian defence systems 

Alongside terrorising the Ukrainian population, Shahed drones also overwhelm Ukrainian anti-missile defence systems. An analyst from the group Ukraine control map describes a two-pronged strategy:

"The Russians are aiming for ‘saturation’ with their use of Shaheds. Essentially, they overwhelm the Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems with the sheer volume of attacking drones. This tactic also helps Russia map out Ukraine’s anti-aircraft systems so that they can target them later. 

While Shahed drones can be easily detected by radar, it is difficult and expensive to destroy them because of the size of the area needing protection and the number of important targets that need an air defence system.  

Russians are trying to completely overwhelm Ukraine with their Shahed strikes. Images of Ukrainians taking shelter in metro stations during air raids are reminiscent of the Nazi Blitz on the United Kingdom during WWII.”

Ukrainian air defence systems are so far managing to shoot down an estimated 75% of Russian Shahed drones, according to a study by the CSIS published in May 2025.

Shaheds are also being used as bait for the Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems, distracting them so that Russian missiles can break through more easily, says Daniele Barbera, a volunteer with the investigative group, Tochnyi:

“While air defence systems know how to neutralise Shaheds, it is much more difficult to stop a large wave of them –especially when that wave of drones is coordinated with missile and aerial bomb attacks. [...] Often, Shahed drones are used to overwhelm Ukrainian defences, allowing missiles to go through, hitting specific targets.”

Infrastructure specially built for Shahed launches 

The main strength of the Shahed drones is their sheer number. In order to maintain constant pressure and to keep up these waves of drone attacks, Russia has been building new infrastructure.

Now, there are Shahed launch sites dotted along the borders of Russian territory. Russian investigative group Oko Gora counted 11 different Russian sites for launching Shahed drones.

Russia’s main hub for launching Shahed drones is at Tsimbulova base near the town of Oryol, located 170 km northeast of Ukraine. Nicknamed “the airport” by the Ukrainians, the base has eight launch sites on the ground as well as a stretch of road measuring 2.8 kilometres where drones can be launched from vehicles. This means that 14 drones can be launched simultaneously, creating a total of nearly a hundred per night, according to the Ukrainian investigative group DniproOsint.

By analysing satellite images, we were able to determine that construction began on the site in August 2024.

Ukrainian missiles have already targeted this site. On January 26, 2025, the airport was hit by a Storm Shadow missile strike. Satellite images broadcast by the Cyber Boroshno, a group of Ukrainian analysts, show the impact of these strikes on bunkers there.

Russia is continuing to build new drone launch sites. The FRANCE 24 Observers team was able to identify a potential site under construction near the town of Asovitsa in the Bryansk region, 35 km from Ukraine.

Air bases adapted for drones 

Russia has also been converting airports into sites where Shahed drones can be stored. That’s the case for the Primorsko-Akhtarsk air base. About a dozen drones can be launched simultaneously from this base, located 230 kilometres from the frontlines. It is also protected by the S-400 anti-missile system.

Ukrainian missiles have targeted the site on several occasions, including on the night of August 2, 2025. The impacts of the submunitions, as well as areas scorched by the extreme heat of the fires, are visible on this satellite image.

Easy targets? 

But if journalists and online investigators are able to detect drone launch infrastructures, it is clear that the Ukrainians also know where they are.

Barbera explains why it is easier for the Russians to group drones within these hubs:

“At first glance, the construction of these launch bases seems rather odd. With satellite imagery, everyone knows where they are – they can be easy targets.

The Russians need these launch infrastructures because they carry out simultaneous waves of drone launches. This requires significant logistics and, therefore, suitable infrastructure. Imagine: for each drone in the sky, the following steps are needed – transporting the drone to the launch area, installing the explosive payload, programming the drone, and finally organising the launch... Multiply these tasks by dozens or even hundreds of Shaheds being launched, and you have a logistical nightmare. It is therefore simpler to create proper launch sites.

Before these bases were built, the Russians used mobile launchers, which currently struggle to launch so many drones at the same time in a coordinated way. Furthermore, the Russians also experimented with shelters that were far less reinforced. They were therefore easier to destroy. In addition, the new bases are protected by missile batteries that can intercept incoming enemy missiles. Concentrating the drones in a single location makes it easier to protect them.

The Shahed drone launch stations are located near Ukrainian territory, which gives Ukrainian air defences less time to respond. If the drones are launched from a more distant area, the Ukrainians will have time to calculate their trajectories and destroy them.”

For the Ukrainian command, the destruction of these launch bases, as well as the Russian factories making Shahed drones, is a priority. Although talks with Russia may begin, the drones are still striking Ukrainian towns without respite.