Russia Using American Trucks to Launch Deadly Kamikaze Drone Strikes on Ukraine Cities: Report
A modified Ram 1500 pickup truck could be seen in a July 20 video by Zvezda, a state TV channel controlled by the country's defense ministry, firing kamikaze drones, according to the Kyiv Independent .
Four more trucks with the same feature were later seen in the video showing off the Tatarstan region drone factory, although a source told the outlet that launching drones from pickup trucks was not common.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Stellantis, who owns Ram Trucks, paused all exports to Russia after sanctions were implemented on the country. However, between February 2022 and September 2024, 130 Michigan-made Ram 1500 trucks ended up in the country.
The majority of these exports are believed to have come about through a tactic called "transshipment," which is when a company direct sales through a country that is not participating in the sanctions.
Several companies based in the United Arab Emirates, who was not involved in the sanctions on Russia, allegedly rerouted sales of the American trucks through the country to sell to private Russian companies. From there, the trucks could be sold anywhere in Russia.
While companies could be able to continue sales in sanction-restricted countries with a special license, Alex Bashinsky, a co-founder at the Global Sanctions Training Institute and member of the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions, told the outlet that they are "hard to obtain."
No companies reached out to by Kyiv Independent explicitly stated they had the required license.
An intel report from earlier this month revealed that Russia's kamikaze drones are set to multiply in number to use in its war against Ukraine, with the number Shahed-136s, the most common explosive-carrying drone used by Russia, reportedly up exponentially.
On Thursday, at least 33 people were injured in an attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine, which officials from the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said may have involved a new weapon developed by Russia, UMPB-5 bombs, though this remains unconfirmed.
Originally published on Latin Times
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
a few seconds ago
- Int'l Business Times
Bolsonaro Backers Rally To Praise Trump For Brazil Pressure
Thousands of fervent supporters of Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro took to the streets Sunday, showing support for US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against the trial of his right-wing ally. Bolsonaro is currently being tried in the capital Brasilia for plotting a coup after failing to win reelection in 2022 against leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "I am here to defend our people against censorship and judges who act arbitrarily," Valdeciria Galvao, a stenographer attending a rally in Brasilia, told AFP. Most of the demonstrators were dressed in green and yellow, the national colors of Brazil and Bolsonaro's party, while some held US flags or signs reading "Thank you Trump." Rallies were organized in several cities including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro, 70, was unable to participate as he has been court-ordered to stay home on evenings and weekends, and not to use social media, as his trial plays out. Accused of conspiring to remain in power despite his electoral defeat by Lula, he faces a heavy prison sentence in the trial, which is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the trial and is despised by Bolsonaro supporters for his fight against disinformation, which they say amounts to censorship. That same day Trump, who has branded the trial a "witch hunt," slapped cumulative 50 percent tariffs on several Brazilian imports as he wielded US economic might to punish the country. The tariffs are set to take effect on August 6. "I agree 100 percent" with the sanctions, said Maristela dos Santos on Copacabana Beach, where Sunday's rally in Rio de Janeiro was taking place. "Since no solution was found here, it had to come from elsewhere." Wearing an American flag on her shoulders, the 62-year-old teacher said she is not particularly concerned about the economic impact of the levies announced by Washington. "What worries me is that Brazil will become like Venezuela and we won't be able to find anything to eat in the supermarket," she argued, alluding to the serious shortages under Nicolas Maduro's socialist regime in Caracas. Paulo Roberto, a 46-year-old entrepreneur, echoed the sentiment, believing punitive customs duties are a necessary evil. "Unfortunately you have to take a few steps back in order to aspire to greater freedom and a better quality of life in the future," Roberto said. Rallies in support of embattled former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro take place in cities including Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro seen here AFP
Int'l Business Times
5 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
US Trade Advisor Says Trump Tariff Rates Unlikely To Change
New US tariff rates are "pretty much set" with little immediate room for negotiation, Donald Trump's trade advisor said in remarks aired Sunday, also defending the president's politically driven levies against Brazil. Trump, who has wielded tariffs as a tool of American economic might, has set tariff rates for dozens of economies including the European Union at between 10 and 41 percent come August 7, his new hard deadline for the duties. In a pre-taped interview broadcast Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said "the coming days" are not likely to see changes in the tariff rates. "A lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not, others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country," Greer said. "These tariff rates are pretty much set." Undoubtedly some trade ministers "want to talk more and see how they can work in a different way with the United States," he added. But "we're seeing truly the contours of the president's tariff plan right now with these rates." Last Thursday, the former real estate developer announced hiked tariff rates on dozens of US trade partners. They will kick in on August 7 instead of August 1, which had previously been touted as a hard deadline. Among the countries facing steep new levies is Brazil. South America's largest economy is being hit with 50 percent tariffs on exports to the United States -- albeit with significant exemptions for key products such as aircraft and orange juice. Trump has openly admitted he is punishing Brazil for prosecuting his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, the ex-president accused of plotting a coup in a bid to cling to power. The US president has described the case as a "witch hunt." Greer said it was not unusual for Trump to use tariff tools for geopolitical purposes. "The president has seen in Brazil, like he's seen in other countries, a misuse of law, a misuse of democracy," Greer told CBS. "It is normal to use these tools for geopolitical issues." Trump was "elected to assess the foreign affairs situation... and take appropriate action," he added. Meanwhile White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said that while talks are expected to continue over the next week with some US trade partners, he concurred with Greer's tariffs assessment in that the bulk of the rates "are more or less locked in." Asked by the host of NBC's Sunday talk show "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" if Trump could change tariff rates should financial markets react negatively, Hassett said: "I would rule it out, because these are the final deals." Legal challenges have been filed against some of Trump's tariffs arguing he overstepped his authority. An appeals court panel on Thursday appeared skeptical of the government's arguments, though the case may be ultimately decided at the Supreme Court.
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Ukrainian Drones Spark Fire At Sochi Oil Depot
An Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, the Russian resort that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic which is 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Ukrainian border, authorities said Sunday. Ukraine has regularly hit Russian oil and gas infrastructure in response to attacks on its own territory since Russia began its offensive in February 2022. "Sochi suffered a drone attack by the Kyiv regime last night," the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratiev, said on Telegram. He said drone wreckage hit an "oil tank, which caused a fire" during the night-time attack. Sochi's mayor, Andrei Proshunin, said there were no victims and that the fire was put out several hours later. Images, broadcast by Russian media but whose authenticity AFP could not verify, showed flames and a thick plumes of black smoke rising from the site. Air traffic was briefly suspended at Sochi airport, Russia's air transport regulator Rosaviatsia said. Ukraine authorities have not commented on the fire. Air strikes on Sochi are relatively rare compared to some other Russian cities. However, Ukrainian drone attacks killed two people there late last month, according to local authorities. Kyiv has said it will intensify its air strikes against Russia in response to an increase in Russian attacks on its territory in recent weeks, which have killed dozens of civilians. The Russian defence ministry said meanwhile that three Ukrainian drones had been intercepted in the Leningrad region, which includes the Baltic port of Saint Petersburg. Overnight strikes by Russia inside Ukraine also left several people injured, authorities said. One missile wounded seven people in a residential district of Mykolaiv, a city near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. Three other people were injured in the northeastern Kharkiv region, she added, while authorities also reported injuries in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in the south. "The Russians continue to wage war not against Ukrainian forces, but against Ukrainian civilians," Svyrydenko said. Last week, US President Donald Trump gave his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a 10-day ultimatum, until next Friday, to end the conflict in Ukraine. The air strikes and fighting have not abated, however, and the Kremlin has rejected the idea of a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine, which it sees as a gift to Kyiv's troops.
