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2 hours ago
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Are interceptor drones Ukraine's best option against Russia? – DW – 06/28/2025
Moscow is increasingly attacking Ukrainian cities with Shahed drones flying at high altitude. Could interceptor drones provide a better and cheaper solution than traditional air defense? Russian airstrikes on cities and towns across Ukraine are rapidly increasing in intensity. Between June 1 and June 20, Moscow launched 3,681 Shahed drones and fake drones, which serve to disorientate the Ukrainian air defense forces. A year ago, the average was at around 600 per month. To counter these attacks, Ukraine is looking for unconventional solutions, such as the use of interceptor drones. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the ensuing war, Moscow has not only increased the production of drones — it has also modernized them and changed deployment tactics. Current drones can maneuver and fly at high altitudes, which is why they cannot be reached by Ukrainian mobile air defense forces with machine guns. "Lately, the Russian Federation has been sending drones at an altitude of about 2 kilometers," Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force , told DW. "That's why it's becoming more and more difficult for our mobile units to intercept Shahed drones," he added. "When drones fly lower, you can see them and shoot at them," he said. "First you detect them acoustically, then visually and with the help of thermal imaging cameras and sighting devices. Opening fire on them is only effective once a drone is flying at an altitude of up to 1 kilometer." Experts have expressed alarm at Russia's latest tactics. "Russia is going to bomb our entire country with Shahed drones. They have significantly increased production and will continue to do so. If we don't act immediately, our infrastructure, our production and our defense systems will be destroyed," military and communications expert Serhiy Beskrestnov warned on social media. In his view, Ukraine needs to ramp up mass production of interceptor drones and train drone pilots. At the front, the use of interceptor drones is anything but new. The Ukrainian military has been using first-person view, or FPV, drones, equipped with cameras that provide the drone pilot with real-time images, for quite some time. These drones are used against various Russian drones, including surveillance and kamikaze models. In order to destroy Shahed drones, which fly faster than many others, however, Ukraine needs special drones. "An Orlan, for example, flies at 100 to 140 kilometers per hour and Shahed drones can reach 200 to 300 kilometers per hour," Serhii Sternenko, head of the Sternenko Community Foundation which provides the Ukrainian military with FPV drones, told DW. In such cases, drones with different characteristics were required for defense. "There are even Ukrainian-made ones. Our troops have already shot down Shaheds several times with such drones," said Sternenko. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his country is focusing on the rapid development of interceptor drones to also defend cities in the hinterland. "In particular, we are working on interceptor drones to enhance protection against Shaheds," Zelenskyy said at the G7 summit in Canada on June 17, pointing out that Ukraine is collaborating with partners to secure more substantial funding. Meanwhile, many Ukrainian manufacturers are already working on such drones. In particular, Wild Hornets, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the production of drones for the Ukrainian armed forces, has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to intercept Shahed and Gerbera drones with its Sting interceptor drone. At the same time, the German startup Tytan Technologies is testing its own interceptor drone with the Ukrainian military, and the Lviv-based company Besomar claims its drone can wait up to two hours in the air for a target. At Kyiv's Dronarium Academy, future drone pilots are trained for aerial combat. They use special simulators for the Ukrainian armed force, and each FPV drone pilot needs about a month to learn to control a drone at high speed. "We are forming new units to cover cities in the hinterland with air defense systems equipped with interceptor drones and we are also training drone pilots," said Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat. "If all air defense groups had interceptor drones and we could use them to destroy enemy drones, we would already have something like 'Star Wars'," said Besomar co-founder Roman Shemechko. "That would be effective, as you wouldn't be shooting at clouds anymore but instead pursuing a target to take it out. That's more effective than simply shooting at Shaheds flying at an altitude of 3 kilometers or wasting a missile," he added. According to experts, interceptor drones are also a reasonable alternative given the cost of anti-aircraft missiles. According to the Unmanned Systems Forces, a branch of the Ukrainian army that specializes in drone warfare, the price of an anti-aircraft missile can be as high as $1 million (€85.4 million), while an interceptor drone costs around $5,000.
DW
2 hours ago
- Politics
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Middle East: Killed Iranian generals honored in Tehran – DW – 06/28/2025
Thousands have gathered in Tehran at an official funeral ceremony for military commanders killed in recent Israeli strikes. Iran has said it is fundamentally willing to resume nuclear talks with the US. DW has of people gathered in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Saturday as an official funeral ceremony took place for the dozens of generals and others, including journalists and a nuclear scientist, killed in Israeli strikes. Among the some 60 people honored were Chief of Staff Mohammed Bagheri, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami and Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC's aerospace division. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the event, along with other senior government officials and military commanders. Ali Shamkhani, the senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, also took part in the ceremony, using a walking cane after being targeted and wounded in the Israeli attacks, state TV showed. In 12 days of attacks from June 13, Israel killed more than 30 high-ranking military officials, some in their homes. Of the 60 people who were to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four were children and four were women. Israel said its attacks on Iran aimed to stop Tehran becoming a nuclear threat to its security. As a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran continues to hold, a funeral ceremony has been held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, for dozens of senior military officials and others killed in recent Israeli strikes. Iran's foreign minister has said his country is ready to resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program with the US if President Donald Trump "puts aside his disrespectful and unacceptable tone" toward the Islamic Republic's supreme leader. UN chief Antonio Guterres has meanwhile called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, saying the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached "horrific proportions." You can follow here for the latest news on the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, as well as news, videos and analyses from the wider Middle East region.
DW
20 hours ago
- Politics
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Spain slams EU inaction on Israel trade deal – DW – 06/26/2025
Spanish PM Sanchez wants the bloc to suspend a major trade deal with Israel over its Gaza conduct. But that looks unlikely. A brief hardening towards Israel appears to have dissipated after recent tensions with Iran. In the wake of a damning EU review of Israel's human rights record in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez slammed his colleagues for not moving to suspend a trade deal with Israel despite what he called "the catastrophic situation of genocide." More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave over more than 18 months of Israeli bombardment, according to Hamas-run Gazan authorities. Israel vehemently denies accusations of genocide, maintaining that it is at war with the ruling militant Islamist group Hamas following a massive terror attack on Israeli territory in 2023. In a report distributed to the member states last week based on the findings and allegations of major international bodies, the European External Action Service found "indications" that Israel was breaching its duty to respect to human rights. The document, not public but made available to DW, highlighted possible indiscriminate attacks affecting the civilian population, Israel's blockade on food and medicine plus attacks on medical facilities as potential breaches. "There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations," the report concluded. Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Sanchez said it was "more than obvious that Israel is violating Article 2 of the EU-Israel agreement." "We have had 18 sanctions packages against Russia for its aggression [in Ukraine], and Europe, with its double standards, is not capable of suspending an association agreement," Sanchez said. Spain and Ireland are isolated among the 27 EU states in openly calling for the suspension of the deal in full, a move that would require unanimity and has therefore never been a serious prospect. Greece, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Bulgaria remain close allies of Israel. Berlin in particular has made its views clear, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz describing the move as "out of the question with the federal [German] government." Doing so would be a major commercial disruption, particularly for Israel, which buys a third of its goods from the EU. The accord, in force since 2000, covers everything from the two sides trading relationship – worth $50 billion each year for goods alone – up to political dialogue, and cooperation on research and technology. Another possibility, requiring only a qualified majority of 15 out of 27, would be the partial suspension of the deal, for example, its provisions on free trade or shutting Israel out of EU research funding programme Horizon. But multiple diplomatic sources told DW that the numbers weren't there either. Earlier in the week, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas officially presented the document to the member states for a first debate, already making clear there would be no immediate moves. "It is not intended to punish Israel, but to trigger concrete improvements for the people and the lives of people in Gaza," she said on Monday. "If the situation does not improve, then we can also discuss further measures and come back to this in July." On Thursday, EU leaders at the summit only "took note" of the report in their joint statement, making no reference to potential rights breaches, and said ministers should revisit the topic next month. At the same time, the 27 leaders deplored the "dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation." Spain has also been calling for an EU embargo on the sale of arms to Israel, with Germany one of the country's major suppliers, as well as more sanctions. However, Berlin recently reaffirmed it would keep selling Israel weapons, and without Germany on board, the move wouldn't have much impact. A few other countries, including Belgium, France and Sweden, have supported imposing additional EU sanctions on Israel, but these too require unanimity. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Echoing Sanchez, Irish leader Michael Martin said he would tell his colleagues at the summit that "the people of Europe find it incomprehensible that Europe does not seem to be in a position to put pressure on Israel." According to Lisa Musiol of conflict resolution think tank Crisis Group, maximum pressure would entail an arms embargo, large-scale sanctions against members of the government or a full suspension of the Association Agreement. "But almost no European leader speaks about such measures," Musiol told DW in a written statement. "There is probably no foreign policy topic within the EU where member states are so divided." Last month, it looked for a brief moment like the EU was indeed collectively hardening its stance. The Dutch proposed the review of the Association Agreement, and the move was greenlit by a majority of EU states on May 20. This came shortly after France, Britain and Canada issued a rare joint statement condemning Israel's latest offensive in Gaza and described its restrictions on aid as being "wholly disproportionate," and possibly in breach of international humanitarian law. There was a distinctive feeling that policy could be shifting. Musiol of Crisis Group said that that window seemed now to have closed. "It seems that after the recent escalation between Israel and Iran, many member states have fallen into their old positions," she said. "Even those member states that have traditionally been strong supporters of Israel but had started to be more outspoken or critical, such as Germany or Italy, have changed their tone."
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20 hours ago
- Politics
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Fact check: Claims of extremism against Mamdani debunked – DW – 06/27/2025
The media and internet is buzzing after Zohran Mamdani's Democratic primary win for New York City mayor, but he has also faced allegations of Islamist extremism and antisemitism. DW fact checks. Following his sensational victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary this week, social media has been flooded with claims about Zohran Mamdani – the 33-year-old Democratic Cocialist who is now odds-on to become the 111th mayor of the most populated city in the United States. Mamdani campaigned heavily on issues around affordability in one of the most expensive cities in the world, promising free public transport and subsidized groceries funded by increased taxation on higher earners. But many social media reactions have focused on his personal profile as a Ugandan-born Muslim of Indian heritage who has been outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli government's policies in the Middle East, leading to allegations of Islamist extremism and antisemitism. DW Fact check takes a look at two of the most viral claims made against him. Claim: Mamdani is a "raging antisemite" DW Fact check: False At its broadest, antisemitism is generally defined as hatred of and prejudice toward Jews. DW looked into claims of antisemitism and found the following information: Mamdani has worked with Jewish politicians, such as in 2018, when he served as campaign manager for Jewish politician Ross Barkan's bid for New York State Senate, and has been endorsed by others. Mamdani has spoken out against antisemitism on the campaign trail. In an interview with progressive Jewish US digital newspaper Forward he said "it would be absolutely incumbent on me to condemn" evidence of antisemitism. He has also stated on various occasions that there is "no room for antisemitism" in New York City, or the world. Mamdani does not, however, condemn the controversial term "globalize the intifada," a reference to civilian uprisings by Palestinians against Israel. While critics claim this is incitement to violence against Jews, Mamdani maintained in a podcast interview that it is an expression of a desire for equality. Complicating things, there are also various codified definitions of antisemitism, such as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition or the Jerusalem Declaration, which vary, among other things, in how they relate criticism of Israel and Zionism to antisemitism. For instance, the IHRA includes "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination" as a form of antisemitism while the Jerusalem definition allows for "opposing Zionism as a form of nationalism." In a TV debate, Mamdani stated he "believes Israel has the right to exist ... as a state with equal rights" but did not explicitly recognize Israel as a specifically Jewish state. This could be considered antisemitism according to the IHRA definition but not the Jerusalem Declaration. The case is similar when it comes to Mamdani's long-standing support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates for the use of economic action against Israel to pressure it to change its policies towards Palestinians. While some individuals, organizations and countries, including Germany, define support for BDS as inherently antisemitic, others do not. In short, while Mamdani's views in relation to Israel and the Middle East conflict are controversial for some, they cannot be conclusively defined as antisemitic due to the differences in perceptions of what defines antisemitism in relation to Israel. Claim: Mamdani "wants Sharia law." DW Fact check: False As a practicing Shia Muslim, Mamdani has been targeted for his religious beliefs both during the campaign and following his primary victory. Earlier this month, he called out an image allegedly circulated by supporters of rival Andrew Cuomo in which his appearance had been altered to give him a darker and fuller beard (see image below). "This is blatant Islamophobia," he said. Meanwhile, one social media post that accrued over 50,000 views claimed that Mamdani wants to turn New York into a "Muslim paradise where jihadists are in charge" and that he "wants Sharia law to be the governing principle." Now, while various Mamdani campaign ads have referenced aspects of Muslim culture and addressed the lack of representation of Muslims in NYC and the US, DW has not found any evidence that he has ever advocated for a theocracy according to Islamic law. On the contrary: In remarks given at the Parkchester Islamic Center in the Bronx, a NYC neighborhood, he said: "I know what our community wants is what every community wants and deserves: safety, equality and respect." He added: "One of the clearest ways you win is at the ballot box." His political campaign has focused primarily on affordability and inclusivity. For instance, Mamdani has promised to fund gender-affirming care for transgender individuals, make NYC a LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city and create an office of LGBTQIA+ affairs. Because there is no central Islamic authority, positions on same-sex relations and transgender identities can vary, but many countries that rely on sharia principles persecute, criminalize or socially ostracize non-heteronormative gender relations or identities. In 2024, Mamdani was an outspoken supporter of "Proposition 1" (formerly known as the New York Equal Rights Amendment), which prevented state lawmakers from enacting policies that discriminated based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare. "There is one issue that we as lawmakers should have no power over: reproductive rights," wrote Mamdani, then an assemblyman for Astoria and Long Island City, in the local Daily Eagle newspaper in the New York City borough of Queens. While some right-wing critics accuse him of being an Islamist extremist, Mamdani has also faced criticism from some New York Muslims who have accused him of not being Muslim enough, according to a report by : Earlier this month, while speaking at a town hall event on corporate greed, Mamdani was reportedly interrupted by two protesters who took issue with his belief that Israel has the right to exist — a stance that they considered too soft and accused Mamdani of betraying his Muslim roots. "Mr. Mamdani faces a challenge even among some Muslims," reported . "He is a democratic socialist, and some of his policies, like supporting legalized marijuana or LGBTQ rights, do not align with more conservative mosques' thinking." In the wake of his primary victory, Zohran Mamdani has faced a wave of misinformation targeting his faith and political views. DW Fact check examined just two of many viral claims, and with the election approaching, such narratives are likely to persist—or even intensify.
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a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Iran regime intensifies crackdown amid Israel ceasefire – DW – 06/27/2025
Iran's regime has executed several people, and arrested hundreds, while seeking to keep domestic opposition in check as its power projection abroad has been weakened following war with Israel. In Tehran's notorious Evin prison, the Iranian regime locks up its opponents, human rights activists, and political dissidents. Iranian rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has spent years behind bars, including multiple stints in Evin prison, for her work calling attention to rights abuses in the Islamic Republic. On Thursday, Mohammadi posted on X that she had received a report from a prison inmate about the high-security ward of the prison being mysteriously emptied out directly following Israeli bombardment. Evin prison's "Ward 209" is where inmates are held in solitary confinement and interrogations are known to take place under gruesome conditions. Mohammadi posted that a witness saw men and women being escorted from the ward in grey uniforms, loaded into vehicles, and taken to an unknown location with no information as to their whereabouts or condition. Prisoners from other sections were also said to have been moved in a similar manner. There is concern that inmates held in secret locations could be mistreated or even killed without anyone knowing. Three Iranians have already been executed this week. At least two of them had earned their living as smugglers in the Iran-Iraq border region. A court justified the execution by saying that the three men had spied for Israel. Dieter Karg, an Iran expert at Amnesty International, said the arrests and execution on "spying" accusations, is a sign that the Iranian government is trying to stifle the opposition in the turbulent period following confrontation with Israel. "The regime is signaling that it is now taking action with full force," Karg told DW, adding that the regime is moving beyond trying to punish ostensible connections with Israel. "Rather, it is now also a matter of accusing people who were originally imprisoned for non-political offenses of having political motives," Karg said. "In fact, the men who were executed were trying to do nothing more than earn a living by smuggling, and this circumstance is now being exploited for political purposes," he added. According to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR), nine people have already been executed since Israel launched attacks on June 13. According to IHR, a total of 594 people have already been executed in Iran this year. In this respect, the recent executions do not come as a surprise, political scientist Diba Mirzaei, who researches Iran at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, told DW. For years, the regime has responded to perceived threats with increasingly brutal and inhumane measures. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "The regime's message behind such actions is unmistakable. In essence, it says you are either with us or against us. And if you are against us, we will deal with you as we see fit. And no one can do anything about it," she said. "The allegations that there were spies for Israel cannot be dismissed as irrelevant or false. Without collaborators, Israel would not have been able to carry out attacks from within Iran itself," Mirzaei said. She added that potential spies could come from both the Iranian population and the ranks of the regime itself. "And that is, of course, particularly worrying for the leadership." Iran's Deputy Minister of Defense from 1997 to 2002, Alireza Akbari, was perhaps the most famous case of a suspected spy coming from within the Iranian government ranks. In 2019, he was arrested on charges of spying for the British intelligence agency MI6. Akbari denied the charges. He was executed in 2023. The regime, from its own perspective, has no choice but to take action against suspected spies, said Mirzaei. "Because if they were not severely punished, according to the regime's logic, other people might also decide to work as spies," she added. Of course, defendants should receive appropriate legal defense, Mirzaei said. "But that's not the regime's logic. So, there's no other option for them to resort to these very brutal measures." The Islamic Consultative Assembly — the Iranian equivalent of a parliament in Western systems of government — recently passed a law that increases penalties for "collaborators." According to the new legislation, espionage or collaboration with hostile governments, including the United States, constitutes the crime of so-called "corruption on earth" and is punishable by death. Since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Iran, the Islamic Republic has begun large-scale arrests under pretexts such as publishing pro-Israel news, contacts with foreign media, and cooperation with or spying for Israel, IHR reports. According to the report, 900 people have already been arrested. "The majority of those detained are people whose mobile devices were searched during checks that allegedly revealed content such as footage of Israeli military actions," according to the IHR report. According to Iran expert Karg from Amnesty, the Iranian regime has lost much of its power basis, as its proxy militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have been drastically weakened, or have fallen from power, like the government of Bashar Assad in Syria. "Now, it is at least trying to maintain its base in its own country by taking tough action," Karg said. Amnesty's access to information within Iran is currently made difficult by an internet blackout. "In this respect, we cannot say exactly what this process [foreign collaboration law] means for political prisoners, some of whom have already been in prison for many years. However, we fear that the number of death sentences and executions will increase," Karg said. This could also apply to the Iranian-Swedish doctor Ahmadreza Djalali, among others. He was arrested in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel. Political scientist Mirzaei also fears more executions and even harder punishments for political prisoners in the near future. "In the past, the Iranian people hoped the West would do something for them. Now they are convinced of the opposite," she said, adding this makes helping political prisoners even more difficult. "The only thing we can and must do is keep track of the number of executed people and political prisoners, of torture and severe abuses. Everything else can only come from the Iranian people themselves," she said. Karg takes a similar view. Economic pressure, as well as negotiations on sanctions, could help influence the regime on human rights issues. "Otherwise, we at Amnesty International rely on the power of appeals. This has been partially successful," he said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was translated from German
