The drones Russia could use to strike Europe from its Mediterranean ghost fleet

By Jesús Maturana Published on 25/09/2026 - 12:04 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Russia keeps up air strikes on Ukraine with an expanding fleet of drones, from the Shahed-136 to the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5, while boosting production in Alabuga. After more than four years of war between Russia and Ukraine, technology and spending on military equipment have evolved significantly. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A number of Russian drones have been detected flying over European Union territory. There have been incursions into Poland and Bulgaria although, according to a CIA report, the situation could become more complicated. The latest information from the CIA has made it clear that there is a risk of Russian drone attacks on Spain, France or Italy launched from containers on ships belonging to the shadow fleet in the Mediterranean. So, what kind of drones is the Russian army using? According to the latest information from the Ukrainian military, it goes far beyond the use of Iranian-made Shahed drones. In the early hours of 27 August, Ukrainian air defences shot down or neutralised 233 Russian targets in a single night-time bombardment. Among them were 258 attack drones, two Oniks anti-ship missiles and several Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, around a third of those drones are jet-powered, while the rest are a mix of Shahed-type drones, Gerbera systems and Banderol missiles, as well as decoys. That mix gives a fairly accurate picture of the state of Russia’s unmanned arsenal at this stage of the war: it is no longer based on a single model but on a whole family of systems performing different roles, from flooding the sky with cheap swarms to punching through at more than 500 kilometres per hour. Part of the explanation lies in cost. Firing a million-dollar interceptor at a drone worth between €25,000-40,000 (€21,000-35,000) is unsustainable in the long run and that imbalance is precisely what Moscow is exploiting by launching waves capable of exhausting far more expensive air-defence systems with its drones, as well as with more conventional weapons. Fragments of a Shahed drone are seen on the ground after a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, 25 September, 2026 AP Photo Russia’s industrial base and the production race The bulk of this drone fleet comes from the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, some 1,200 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. The complex covers more than 2.8 million square metres and it is estimated that around 15% of its facilities are devoted, directly or indirectly, to war production. There, composite fuselages are moulded, engines are manufactured, onboard electronics are assembled and completed parts are stored. Ukrainian strikes on the complex have forced Russia to move much of that chain underground. A Ukrainian open-source analyst estimates that around 42,000 square metres of underground space have already been built at Alabuga, the equivalent of six football pitches. According to Russian media cited by 'The Economist', daily production of Geran-2 drones already exceeds 100 units, with plans to reach 500 a day. Geran-2 drones are the systems better known as the Shahed-136. In terms of overall volume, estimates vary by source but point in the same direction. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies calculated that in March 2026 Russia was producing around 5,500 drones a month, while Ukrainian military intelligence put August output at around 3,000 Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones and some 2,800 Geran-2 a month. In March of that same year, according to a report cited by Euronews, Russia had launched 6,462 Shahed-type drones and related attack and decoy systems, of which 4,186 were Shahed-type Geran-2 attack drones, an average of 208 launches a day – a pace that on some days rose to more than 900 drones. Geran-2: The drone that saturates Ukrainian defences This is the model that has underpinned most attacks since 2022. Designed in Iran, Russia manufactures its own version at Alabuga under the Geran-2 designation. Manufacturer: HESA / Shahed Aviation Industries (Iran); Russian version assembled at Alabuga under the Geran-2 designation. Dimensions: 3.5 metres long with a 2.5-metre wingspan. Weight: Around 200 kilograms. Propulsion: Mado MD-550 four-stroke piston engine of about 50 horsepower, with a rear propeller. Cruising speed: Around 185 km/h. Range: Between 1,000 and 2,500 kilometres depending on the version; the Russian variant with a reinforced 90-kg warhead has its range cut to around 1,000 kilometres. Explosive payload: Between 30 and 50 kilograms in the standard version, with a casing that combines conventional explosives with thermobaric material and metal fragmentation elements. Estimated cost: Between $20,000-50,000 (€17,000-43,000) per unit. In service since: September 2022. Ukrainian interception rate: Estimated at between 65% and 85% according to Global Military. Geran-2 drone, based on the Iranian Shahed design Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Geran-3, Geran-4 and Geran-5: The race for speed As Ukrainian interceptors have improved, Russia has been replacing propellers with jet engines. The leap has taken place in three stages. The first, the Geran-3, based on the Shahed-238, reused the Geran-2 fuselage with an added turbojet. It reached speeds of between 300 and 370 km/h and had an operational range of close to 1,000 kilometres, with a combined thermal and fragmentation warhead of around 50 kilograms. Ukrainian intelligence documented dozens of foreign components in its wreckage, many of them from US manufacturers, as well as Chinese and European parts. The Geran-4 followed with an entirely redesigned fuselage rather than a simple adaptation. Its dimensions remain similar to those of the original Shahed – about 3.5 metres long with a 3-metre wingspan – but with integrated fixed wings to reduce drag. Shahed-238, the basis for the jet-powered Geran-3 drone Wikipedia According to specialist analysis, it cruises at between 300-350 km/h, with peaks of up to 500 km/h, flies at 4,000 to 5,000 metres and delivers a 50-kilogram warhead at a range of between 450 and 850 kilometres. In practice, however, Russia has managed to stretch that figure: flying at high altitude to cut fuel consumption, a Geran-4 recorded a flight of around 960 kilometres on 28 August 2026, a distance that brings almost the whole of Ukrainian territory within range. Its cost is put at between $85,000-120,000 (€74,000-105,000) per unit. The Geran-5 is the most recent variant. According to an analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, it can reach up to 600 km/h, has a range of about 950 kilometres and a payload of around 90 kilograms; German-made transistors have been found in its remains. Both models are powered by the TF-TJ2000A engine. The impact on Ukrainian defences has been significant. In March 2026 Ukraine was intercepting more than 90% of the drones launched against its territory; by June, with Geran jet drones deployed on a large scale, that rate had fallen to just over 50%. Kyiv responded with its own jet-powered interceptors, such as the Alexa Spatium, which entered service on 21 August 2026. Geran-3 and Geran-4, Russian jet-powered drones Wikipedia Gerbera: The decoy that turned into a weapon Originally conceived as a cheap decoy to saturate radar screens alongside real Geran-2 drones, the Gerbera model has been steadily gaining its own offensive capability. Manufacturer identified by Ukrainian intelligence: JSC Alabuga Skywalker Technology Co. Estimated cost: Around $10,000 (€8,000) per unit. Dimensions: 2 metres long with a 2.5-metre wingspan. Maximum speed: Up to 160 km/h. Range (decoy version): between 300 and 600 kilometres. Ceiling: Up to 3,000 metres. In service since: July 2024. Recent evolution: Gerbera drones manufactured at Alabuga, hitherto used as decoys, are being fitted with high-explosive fragmentation warheads produced by the company Bazalt and KZ-6 charges. Gerbera drone shot down in Ukraine Por Dpsu.gov.ua Lancet: Precision munitions against armoured vehicles Unlike the Shahed and Geran drones, designed for long-range strikes, the Lancet is a short-range weapon intended to hit specific frontline targets such as artillery, radar systems or armoured vehicles. Manufacturer: ZALA Aero Group, part of the Kalashnikov concern. Unveiled: June 2019, at the ARMY-2019 military fair in Moscow. Variants: Izdeliye 51, with 60 minutes of endurance and a 5-kilogram warhead, and Izdeliye 52, lighter, with 40 minutes and a 3-kilogram warhead, the version most widely used at the front. Maximum take-off weight: Up to 12 kilograms. Range: Up to 40 kilometres in the standard version; a model detected in 2025 with a redesigned antenna system extends that range. Russian short-range Lancet drone Por Nickel nitride Speed: cruising speed of 80 to 110 km/h, with a dive impact speed of up to 300 km/h, according to WikiTanks. Guidance: GLONASS-based inertial navigation in the approach phase, with real-time electro-optical correction on the final target, according to Defensa. Warhead: high explosive or fragmentation; in August 2025 Russia began replacing the standard KZ-6 charge with a PTM-3 anti-tank mine, increasing the explosive load from 1.5 to 1.8 kilograms at the cost of reduced armour penetration, according to UNITED24 Media. It is worth noting that social networks have circulated claims of a variant called Lancet XXL, with a warhead equivalent to 20 kilograms of TNT and a range of 200 kilometres, powered by an internal combustion engine instead of the usual electric motor. However, this version has not been officially confirmed either by ZALA Aero or by the Russian Defence Ministry. Image of a Geran-5 Servicio de Seguridad de Ucrania Orlan-10: The eyes of the Russian artillery This is not an attack drone but a reconnaissance platform whose main role is to correct artillery fire and monitor troop movements. Manufacturer: Special Technology Centre, based in Saint Petersburg. Maximum take-off weight: 16.5 kilograms. Payload: up to 6 kilograms, including day and thermal cameras and, in its attack variant, small bombs. Endurance: around 18 hours. Range: between 120 and 600 kilometres depending on operating mode. Speed: cruising speed of 110 km/h and maximum of 150 km/h. Ceiling: 5,000 metres. Estimated cost: between $87,000-120,000 (€76,000-105,000). Production: more than 1,000 units built, in 11 different variants. Tactical use: typically deployed in groups of two or three, sharing reconnaissance, electronic warfare and data relay roles. Russian Orlan-10 surveillance drone Mike1979 Russia Orion: Russia’s attempt to mimic the MQ-9 Reaper This is the most ambitious combat drone in the Russian arsenal, although serial production was slow to ramp up and it has never played as prominent a role as the Shaheds. Manufacturer: Kronshtadt Group, based in Dubna. Category: medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV, with a configuration similar to the US MQ-9 Reaper. Weight: around one tonne. Maximum speed: 200 km/h. Ceiling: 7,500 metres. Endurance: up to a full day of operation. Range: 250 kilometres, extendable via satellite link. Armament: up to four air-to-surface missiles with warheads of between 7 and 20 kilograms; it carries the guided X-50 missile, developed specifically for this platform, and more recently the S8000 Banderol cruise missile, with a maximum speed of 650 km/h, cruising at 560 km/h, and a range of 500 kilometres. Estimated cost: around $7 million (€6 million) per unit. Technological dependence: according to Ukrainian intelligence, much of its electronics come from US and other Western manufacturers despite sanctions. Combat history: Syria (2019), Ukraine (2022). Russian Orion drone Nickel nitride Fibre-optic FPV drones: immune to electronic warfare The latest development is not about range but about electromagnetic stealth. Because they are physically connected by cable to the operator, these drones emit no radio signal that can be jammed or detected. First known Russian model: Kniaz Vandal Novgorodsky, developed by the volunteer tech group Ushkuinik and deployed around August 2024 in the Kursk region. Cable length: between 5 and 20 kilometres in typical models, with some prototypes reaching up to 50 kilometres. Operational range: between 20 and 30 kilometres for Russian quadcopters, with a hit rate of close to 80% at a distance of 20 kilometres. Payload: up to 2 or 3 kilograms in the most common tactical models. "Sleeper" variant: fitted with a module called Gibernator that allows the drone to go into hibernation for weeks without emitting any signal, to ambush targets near key objectives, and which, according to its chief engineer, can remain on standby for up to a month in summer. Typical targets: logistics hubs, rear-area positions, vehicles and areas close to the front line. Drones with a fibre-optic reel АрміяІнформ The Russian army has a multitude of drones at its disposal and some of them have a range of up to 1,000 kilometres, which means that the CIA’s estimates may in fact underestimate the threat of a possible attack on Spain, France or Italy from the Mediterranean. From a ship in the shadow fleet in the Mediterranean, the Russian army could launch Geran-2, Geran-3, Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones, all capable of carrying an explosive payload to targets at almost 1,000 kilometres. 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