Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had used Australian-made drones to attack targets on Russian soil, and also said that the Australian government was becoming increasingly involved in the conflict, Reuters reported.

“As it turned out, Australian drones are indeed used to strike targets in Russia,” said Maria Zakharova, press secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

She was responding to questions about an article published last week in the Sydney Morning Herald that claimed Australian drones were used to attack a Russian military airfield in the city of Kursk.

This information was also reported the other day by the independent Kyiv newspaper “Ukrainian Pravda” with reference to several sources in the SBU on the condition of anonymity, who reported that Ukrainian military counter-intelligence agents attacked the Kursk airfield with cardboard drones on the night of August 27.

Ukrainian journalists turned to their SBU sources for comment after a video of tests of such drones, which have the great advantage of being invisible to radar systems, appeared on social media on Thursday.

Ukrainians began receiving cardboard drones in March, when the Australian government promised to deliver at least 100 units to Kyiv every month. They were included in the $20 million aid package for Ukraine approved by the Australian government at the time.

According to Maria Zakharova’s comments on Tuesday, the Australian government “enthusiastically supports the anti-Russian campaign led by Washington” while hiding from public opinion “unenviable circumstances that indicate that Australia is increasingly involved in the conflict in Ukraine”.

What is known about drones received by Ukrainians from Australia

Business Insider reported last week that these “inexpensive” drones, officially called the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS), give Ukrainian forces an unexpected advantage on the battlefield by being undetectable by radar systems.

“Ukrainian Pravda” sources in the SBU reported that the drones are large enough to carry an explosive charge that can damage even a large aircraft.

Australian drone manufacturer SYPAX claims that using them is no more difficult than assembling an IKEA product, and depending on the load, they can fly at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour.

Although the range is not impressive, small drones have a maximum range of up to 120 kilometers.

Michael Partridge, director of SYPAX, told tech website The Register that the drone was designed for munitions or medicine delivery missions, but could also be adapted for reconnaissance missions by “simply cutting a hole” in cardboard to mount the camera.

In March, SYPAQ announced that it had received a $700,000 contract from the Australian government to produce such drones for Ukraine.

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