International

Russia breaks a new launch record of Iranian ‘Shahed’ drones against Ukraine

Throughout September, Russia launched 1,339 Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine, which represents a new record in the number of these unmanned aerial devices used against enemy territory since the beginning of the war, according to the publication of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, ArmyInform.

The previous record in the use of Shahed was reached in August of this year, when Russian forces launched about 800 drones of this type against Ukraine, according to the account of the social network X @ShahedTracker, which reports on the use of these Iranian devices.

The third month with the highest use of Shahed was September 2023, when the Russians fired 521 of these drones at Ukraine.

Russia doubles production

The most obvious factor that explains this increase in the use of Iranian suicide drones must be looked for in the expansion of Russia’s own production of this technology.

According to the military expert and editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian publication specialized in military affairs Defense Express, Oleg Katkov, Russia has already managed to produce in its factory in Tatarstan, a year in advance of the developed plan, the 6,000 units of these originally Iranian drones that it planned to manufacture until September 2025.

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“Based on this, the enemy can launch up to 50 drones of this type daily, or even more,” Katkov told the Ukrainian media RBK.

According to the figures published by ArmyInform, Russia is already close to these numbers and used in September, when for the first month since the beginning of the war it did not stop launching a single day of Shahed against Ukraine, an average of 44 drones daily.

About one hundred percent interception

Ukraine intercepts practically all the Iranian drones that Russia launches against its territory. According to @ShahedTracker, Ukrainian air defenses managed to knock down or divert from their target with radio-electronic interference 94% of the devices that arrived in their airspace in August and September of this year.

Despite the high percentage of interceptions, the Shaheds continue to be a serious headache for the Ukrainian Army, which dedicates an increasing number of personnel and resources every night to prevent these drones that Russia launches in swarms from reaching their objectives, among which are usually electrical infrastructures.

When Russia launches them simultaneously with missiles, the mission of these Shahed swarms is to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses so that they cannot respond to all the projectiles.

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More drones lost due to interference

To avoid using anti-aircraft missiles that are much more expensive than drones for each of the downs, Ukrainian forces created mobile patrols equipped with lighter weapons that shoot the Shaheds to make them fall before reaching their targets.

Aware of the effectiveness of this method, the Russians now fly these drones at a higher height, so that conventional weapons cannot reach them until they begin their descent towards the target.

Ukraine has developed its own drones

According to the expert in radio-electronic warfare means Serguí Flesh, the Shahed have gone from flying at about 2 kilometers high to doing it at between 4 and 5 kilometers.

In response, the expert says on his Telegram channel, the Ukrainian Army has perfected the use of electronic interference means and makes an increasing percentage of Russian drones lose signal, allowing it to neutralize the Shaheds that fly higher without spending their most sophisticated ammunition to shoot them down.

In addition to defending itself, Ukraine has developed its own drones similar to the Shahed, with which it attacks almost daily military targets and refineries within the Russian Federation.

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International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.