Direct proof of use
Russia's use of one-way attack UAVs in Ukraine is directly documented through Iranian Shahed/Geran-series employment. The Defense Intelligence Agency described Iranian UAVs used by Russian forces in Ukraine and compared debris from Ukraine with Iranian systems used elsewhere, while CSIS records Russia receiving Shahed UAVs in 2022 and employing Shahed-136 drones against Ukrainian military targets, air defenses, and the energy grid.
Ukraine's side of the category is documented through supplied and fielded one-way attack systems rather than a single common model. In April 2022, the Pentagon described Phoenix Ghost as a tactical unmanned aerial system for Ukrainian requirements in eastern Ukraine whose principal focus was attack and whose purpose was akin to the one-way attack Switchblade. In April 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence said its largest Ukraine drone package included thousands of long-range strike drones and that deliveries had started that month.
Sources: DIA Iranian UAVs in Ukraine, CSIS Shahed-131 and -136, Pentagon Phoenix Ghost Briefing, UK Ukraine Drone Package 2026
Timeline
Public documentation places Ukraine's receipt of Phoenix Ghost in the early months of the 2022 full-scale invasion, with the Pentagon tying the system to tactical attack requirements in eastern Ukraine.
Russia's Shahed/Geran use entered public conflict reporting later in 2022, and CSIS describes repeated employment against Ukrainian military targets, air defenses, and energy infrastructure. By 2026, public UK assistance announcements described continuing Ukrainian receipt of long-range strike drones alongside reconnaissance, logistics, and maritime drone capabilities.
Sources: Pentagon Phoenix Ghost Briefing, CSIS Shahed-131 and -136, UK Ukraine Drone Package 2026
Russian Shahed and Geran strikes
The clearest Russian-side examples are Iranian-designed Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 UAVs, known in Russian service as Geran-1 and Geran-2. CSIS describes Russia receiving Iranian Shahed UAV shipments in 2022 and later establishing production lines with Iran in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone.
Open Source Munitions Portal identifies Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 as one-way attack UAVs that fly to pre-programmed target coordinates and detonate on impact. Its Ukraine-focused visual guide links the type to Russian Geran designations, Ukrainian battlefield remnants, and later Russian warhead variants.
Sources: CSIS Shahed-131 and -136, OSMP Shahed Visual Guide
Ukrainian strike-drone use and supply
Ukraine's documented use includes foreign-supplied tactical one-way systems and longer-range strike drones. The Phoenix Ghost announcement supports a tactical attack role in eastern Ukraine, while later UK government reporting supports continued supply of long-range strike drones for Ukrainian battlefield use.
This page treats the category as a conflict-use family rather than as proof that every Ukrainian or Russian one-way attack drone model was used in the same way. The direct claims are limited to Russian Shahed/Geran employment, Ukrainian Phoenix Ghost supply for attack use, and Ukrainian receipt of long-range strike drones where the cited sources support those statements.
Sources: Pentagon Phoenix Ghost Briefing, UK Ukraine Drone Package 2026, CSIS Shahed-131 and -136
