In the Chernihiv region, the use of modernized Russian Shaheds was recorded, which, with a night camera, organized a hunt for a moving Ukrainian railway train. This was reported by Militarnyi with reference to a Russian propaganda Telegram channel.
Propagandists released a video in which a group of shaheds under the control of Russian operators struck a Ukrainian railway train carrying fuel tanks at a distance of about 150-200 kilometers from the Ukrainian state border.
The first drone hit a locomotive, which caused the train to stop. Subsequent drones began to hit platforms and tanks. During the attack, the Shaheds collided with Ukrainian air defense helicopters, however, according to the enemy, the drones were able to avoid being shot down, probably due to the presence of cameras. The Russians also announced a strike on fuel and lubricant tanks near the city of Bobrovytsia, Chernihiv region.
The first use of Shaheds with an optical system and radio control was recorded in June 2025 in Sumy region, when the Ukrainian military shot down one of these devices. Then, specialists from the Defense Ministry's GUR confirmed the Iranian origin of the drone based on the materials of the hull and electronic components. Among the wreckage, an Nvidia Jetson Orin minicomputer was found, capable of processing video and searching for targets based on downloaded models.
Wreckage of the upgraded Shahed drone shot down in June this year
GUR MO/eRadar/Military
However, as Militarnyi writes, the released footage of the latest attack shows that the drones were under the direct control of operators. This indicates that ground or air relays were used near the drones to maintain communications.
According to the publication, one of the documents of Russian-Iranian cooperation, dated 2022, mentioned the Shahed-236 model with an optical guidance system and the ability to operate both in autonomous mode with a range of over 1000 km and under the control of an operator in a radius of up to 220 km. From all this, we can conclude that it was Shahed-236 drones or their modifications that were used in the attack on the railway train and fuel tanks.
The Russian-Iranian documentation also mentioned the estimated cost of one such device, which was estimated at approximately $900,000, significantly exceeding the price of the previous Shahed-136 model, which in 2022 cost about $193,000.