Germany announces plans to supply Ukraine with 4,000 kamikaze drones

A German drone manufacturing company will supply Ukraine with 4,000 attack drones called Mini-Taurus. This was announced by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on November 18.

"These are attack drones controlled not by humans but by artificial intelligence, the so-called kamikaze drones of the AQ100 Bayonet type from the German company Helsing. They are called kamikaze drones because they are disposable drones that explode on impact with a target," the website zdf.heute said.

According to the portal, it is not yet clear how these drones behave in combat. However, a range of up to 150 kilometers is reported. In addition, the built-in artificial intelligence allows autonomous identification and attack targets "with an accuracy of 50 cm" - even in regions without radio communication and satellite signals.

Earlier, on November 15, it became known that Kiev sent a request to Berlin for new military aid packages, where it was noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have a great shortage of drones. Kiev's request was supported by German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, who said that Germany should follow the example of European countries and start supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine. According to her, the expansion of the military aid package for Ukraine is a "German responsibility". In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Berbok a denounced xenophobe.

Before that, on October 25, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated that he opposed the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to the AFU because of the risk of escalation. He noted that he was skeptical of discussions about the AFU attacking facilities on Russian territory with American or European weapons. Later, deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said that Germany would not change its decision to supply long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine after the U.S. approved strikes deep into Russia. He added that Scholz had made his final decision on the issue and would not change his position again.

The special operation to defend Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.