Kremlin rains 'kamikaze drones' on Kyiv, raising concerns of a nuclear catastrophe

The latest Kremlin attacks, combining 'kamikaze' drones and missiles, rained down on Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday.

The city came under attack early in the morning involving kamikaze suicide drones and missiles, Ukrainian officials confirmed.

Anatoliy Kurtev, the acting mayor of Zaporizhzhia, also posted on Telegram about what he described as an "insidious attack on Zaporizhzhia with kamikaze drones."

The city had been hit by "ten or more" C300 missiles on Saturday morning, following four "kamikaze" drone raids overnight, stated Oleksandr Starukh, the chief of Zaporizhzhia's regional military administration.

"As a result of the Shahed-136 UAV attack, infrastructure facilities in the city of Zaporizhzhia were destroyed. Fires broke out, which were contained in time by our rescuers. There are no casualties," said Starukh.

A Russian rocket also hit Kyiv while Zaporizhzhia was being bombarded, according to the officials.

The largest nuclear facility in Europe is located in the city of Zaporizhzhia, and recent shelling in the region has caused worry about a nuclear catastrophe.

Iranian kamikaze drones

Kamikaze drones are ​​suicide drones, a type of aerial weapon system. They are known as loitering munitions because they can wait for a period of time in an area identified as a potential target before striking if an enemy asset is identified.

The term "kamikaze" refers to an intentional suicide crash by a Japanese aircraft carrying explosives against an enemy target during World War II. Kamikaze aircraft, which were either specially constructed or modified ordinary aircraft, were essentially pilot-guided explosive missiles.

Iranian kamikaze drones from the Shahed series were introduced to Russian officials at Kashan Airfield, south of Tehran, according to U.S officials who spoke to CNN in July.

Since September, Russia has been using Iranian suicide drones in Ukraine. These drones can carry precision-guided missiles weighing 110 pounds and have a payload of about 50 kgs (110 pounds).

Allies promise Air defense system for Ukraine

Since the start of the conflict in February, Ukraine has pleaded with its allies for air defense systems, but since Russia started utilizing Iranian-made drones, the demand has grown more urgent.

According to a handout distributed to the defense ministers present at the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday in Brussels, air defense systems were one of the top three items on a Ukrainian wish list of armaments.

Germany has sent the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Kyiv since Monday when Russia first started its bombing against Ukraine, Fortune Magazine reported on Thursday.

Diehl Defense, situated in Überlingen, produces the IRIS-T system, which sells for around €140 million ($136 million) apiece. They are meant to offer small cities and troops medium-range, high-altitude cover.

The missiles employ infrared imaging to locate targets and are deployed 360 degrees around the launcher. The final tests on the weapon were only carried out in late 2021, and the weapons have never been employed on a battlefield.

Meanwhile, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stated on Tuesday that Washington has pledged to quicken the delivery of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS); two units are anticipated to be sent soon, and six more dispatched over a longer time frame.

One of NATO's most frequently utilized air-defense systems, NASAMS, was created by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway and Raytheon.

The U.K. has also pledged to send a number of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), one of the most popular air-to-air weapons for fighter jets in the world, which could be used with the NASAMS launcher provided by the United States.

France, the Netherlands, and Canada have also promised Ukraine military hardware to counter Russian missiles, which do not appear to be slowing down.