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

Macron meets Machado, stresses need for democratic transition in Venezuela

Emmanuel Macron met on Monday at the Élysée Palace with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, where they discussed the importance of advancing a democratic transition in Venezuela.

In a message shared on social media, Macron highlighted Machado’s commitment to freedom and stressed the need to achieve a transition that is peaceful and respects the will of the Venezuelan people.

“I received María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Together, we discussed her commitment to freedom and the importance of achieving a democratic, peaceful transition in Venezuela that respects the will of its people,” he wrote.

For her part, Machado expressed her “deep gratitude” to Macron and to France for their support of democracy and freedom in Venezuela.

“We have gone through a long and painful journey, and we are now very close to freedom. Venezuela will become a nation of free and equal men and women—prosperous, safe, and united,” she said.

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International

Trump says Iran seeks new talks after failed negotiations in Pakistan

Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran has reached out to United States to resume negotiations, following the collapse of recent talks held in Islamabad.

“We’ve been contacted by the other side,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran is eager to reach a deal “at all costs.” Speaking from the Oval Office, he reiterated that his main objective is to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and warned that he will not allow Iran to “blackmail” the international community.

After negotiations between Washington and Tehran ended without agreement on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. would move to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil trade.

The waterway had already been disrupted by Iran in response to a U.S. and Israeli offensive launched on February 28, causing significant shocks to the global economy.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump further warned that any Iranian vessel attempting to bypass the U.S. naval blockade in the strait would be “eliminated immediately.”

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The renewed tensions have pushed oil prices higher, while global stock markets have reacted negatively to the lack of an agreement in Islamabad.

International

Trump orders U.S. control of Strait of Hormuz after failed Iran talks

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz“effective immediately,” following the collapse of negotiations with Iran held in Islamabad.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. Navy to block vessels attempting to enter or exit the strategic waterway, a key route for global energy trade.

“The meeting went well, agreement was reached on most points, but the only really important one — nuclear weapons — was not approved,” Trump said, referring to the talks with Iranian representatives.

The president also stated that he had instructed authorities to intercept ships in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran to transit the strait, calling such payments “illegal.” He further accused Tehran of hindering an agreement by deploying mines in the area, describing the move as “international extortion.”

Trump added that the United States will undertake efforts to clear mines from the strait and expressed confidence that a future agreement ensuring free navigation could eventually be reached.

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The announcement came after Vice President JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner briefed the president on the outcome of the negotiations, considered the highest-level contacts between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

While Trump acknowledged that enough progress had been made to maintain a temporary truce, he criticized Iran for remaining unwilling to abandon its nuclear ambitions, calling its position “very inflexible” on the central issue.