Ukraine has found a new way to fight back against Russia’s drone attacks.
Ukrainian forces have learned how to hack Shahed drones, according to L'Independent.
These drones are redirected away from targets. In some cases, they are sent back to hit Russia or Belarus.
Last week, Ukraine reported the largest drone attack since the war began. Russia launched 188 Shahed drones in one night.
The drones were originally designed in Iran but are now produced in Russia. They can travel up to 1,000 kilometers and are used in kamikaze-style attacks. Their goal is to destroy strategic targets deep inside Ukraine.
95 Drones Diverted by Hacking
Despite the scale of the attack, Ukraine’s defenses performed well. Officials reported shooting down 76 drones using traditional weapons.
They also managed to divert 95 drones by hacking into their systems. This gave Ukraine a 90% success rate during the assault.
Shahed drones are central to Russia’s strategy in this war. They are built to be cheap and easy to produce. Each drone carries a small explosive payload.
They are not fast or heavily armed, but they are launched in swarms to overwhelm defenses. Russia has relied heavily on these drones to target energy grids and military sites.
Ukraine’s success in hacking Shahed drones is a major breakthrough. The drones’ navigation systems can be disrupted using electronic warfare.
This causes them to crash or miss their targets entirely. In some cases, Ukrainian forces have redirected these drones back toward Russia or Belarus. This allows Ukraine to use Russia’s own weapons against it.
Russia sends dozens of Shahed drones into Ukraine every day. The goal is to destroy infrastructure and weaken Ukrainian defenses.
However, hacking and repurposing these drones have added a new challenge for Russia. It also demonstrates Ukraine’s growing expertise in electronic warfare.
