Poland Provided US with a Shahed Drone As Result of Covert Operation
In a joint Polish-Ukrainian operation it is reported that operatives and special operations forces personnel managed to locate and obtain a downed Shahed-136 drone in good condition that can be publicly displayed in Washington. The blades of the drone’s propeller are damaged but the aircraft is otherwise intact.
Shahed-136 has been used in large numbers since mid-2022 by Russia to strike critical infrastructure in Ukraine and oversaturate Ukrainian air defense systems. The Iranian-made drone, adopted under the name “Geran” by the Russians, remains a symbol of the terror-bombing campaign performed in the Winter of 2022/23 and 2023/24 when Ukrainian powerplants and electrical grids were mercilessly stricken.
Polish media outlets claim that the operation was directly aided by the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, and a US organization “United Against Nuclear Iran” (UANI). Thomas Kaplan, the head of UANI has been a well-established colleague of Sikorski since their university time at Oxford in the 1980s. The drone was reportedly salvaged by Ukrainian and Polish special forces. There have been no comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this particular subject.
The drone was displayed at the Conservative Political Action Conference during Radosław Sikorski’s recent visit to Washington. Sikorski made a speech next to the downed drone, saying: “I dare to say that this proves that Russia and Iran have a military relationship… Iran cannot escape responsibility for exporting thousands of these things.” The Polish Foreign Minister was invited by his counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It is speculated that the talks may be connected to the Polish involvement in the War in Ukraine alongside the US stance on continuing military support and presence in Poland.
Capturing vital pieces of equipment marks another milestone in gathering data on the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces. Shahed drones have been able to harass Ukraine in large numbers and oversaturate multi-layered defenses with successes on numerous occasions. While an understanding of the drone’s navigation and communication systems may prove vital to limiting the type’s further use it is also a useful propoganda tool to display that they can be in the foreseeable future.