Germany to send thousands of strike drones to Ukraine: Report

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany is to deliver 4,000 strike drones to Ukraine, the daily Bild newspaper reported Monday.

Kyiv is expected to receive the drones within the next few weeks, after German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced in June that he would support Ukraine with additional systems in its war with Russia.

The drones will reportedly have a significantly higher range than the Ukrainian kamikaze drones and could also be deployed against tanks and Russian military positions.

Internally, the drones are also referred to as “Mini-Taurus” in reference to the German cruise missile.

Meanwhile, Germany has reiterated its opposition to sending long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, even after the US government's reported change of course on the delivery of long-range missiles.

“Yes, the federal government was informed about this (the US administration’s decision) and no, it has no impact on the chancellor’s decision not to deliver Taurus,” said deputy government spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner at a press briefing in Berlin.

According to US media reports, outgoing US President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) for "limited strikes" within Russian territory.

The Taurus missiles, which could potentially reach the Russian capital Moscow, have been a point of contention in German politics, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz consistently rejecting Ukraine's requests for them.

With a range exceeding 500 kilometers (310 miles), the Taurus missiles are well-known for successfully targeting objects including bridges, or hard and deeply buried targets such as command bunkers.