Spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command Yuriy Ihnat said that 70 of 250 Shahed drones, which were supplied by Iran to Russia over the past month, have been destroyed by the Ukrainian air defense forces.

"In the past two weeks, Russia attacked the territory of Ukraine with Shakhed-131 and Shakhed-136 attack drones from the second batch of around 250 Iranian-made drones. Up to 70 drones, which were used by Russian to strike our critical infrastructure, have already been destroyed by the Ukrainian air defense," he was quoted as saying in a statement posted on the Telegram channel of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine on Tuesday.

According to Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov, Russia, under a contract concluded in summer, bought 1,700 so-called Shakhed explosive drones from Iran, which will be supplied in batches. So far, Russia has launched around 540 drones for tactical strikes along the frontline and against power plants, electrical poles and electrical substations. The majority of attack drones were downed before they reached their targets, he said.

Budanov also noted that the production of these drones in Iran costs around $7,000 per unit and it is not clear how much Russia pays to Iran for this weapon.