Two Iranian-made Shahed drones taken down in Kyiv region. Ukraine claims Russia launched them from territory of Belarus

Two Iranian-made Shahed drones, previously purchased by Russia, were taken down in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine newspaper.

According to him, the drones were launched from the territory of Belarus. This is the first known case of launching a drone from a country that is not officially a conflict side, the newspaper points out.

“Like when they launched them from the south, from Crimea, for example, they can now launch them from different locations. They can just move them around. It was to be expected. Now they will have an opportunity to attack Western regions from a shorter distance,” Ihnat said.

Last week, the regional directorate of Territorial Defence Forces for Western Ukraine reported that Russia might have transported at least 20 Shahed drones to Belarus.