The drones used in the attack are stated to be Shaheed types. Russia has utilised the Iranian Shaheed-type kamikaze UAVs for long-range and wide-area attacks.
Ukraine has devised various ways to counter the Shaheed (Geran-2 in Russian service) UAVs. After interception with missiles was deemed expensive and unsustainable, Ukraine switched to more straightforward methods such as using gun-based air defence systems (Gepard, ZU-23…) and refitting some heavy machine guns with various equipment (Thermal optics and searchlights), exploiting the low speed of the Iranian UAVs.
Despite the cost efficiency of said solutions, the range remains a problem. Countries supplying Ukraine with new military equipment are also working on new solutions. The U.S. supplied Ukraine with APKWS laser-guided rockets to counter UAVs. APKWS was tested at some point against fixed-wing UAVs with a new fuze. APKWS is based on cheap Hydra 70 mm rockets, resulting in lower costs than those of missiles like Stinger per missile.
With trials and errors, efforts are ongoing for a satisfactory counter against the emerging mass UAV attack threat.
