Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-136) Kamikaze Drone Crashes in Kazakhstan

A Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-136) kamikaze drone, bearing the tail number “Ы18358,” has crashed on Kazakhstani soil.

Kazinform, the local news agency, reported on the incident.

According to the report, the drone was found in the Taskalinsk district of the West Kazakhstan region, which borders the Saratov region of the Russian Federation.

According to the Colonel GSh Telegram channel, the discovered Geran-2 drone is equipped with a HE-fragmentation warhead and a telemetry system.

The drone landed in a field without visible damage and without the detonation of the warhead, which may indicate fuel depletion and subsequent uncontrolled gliding to the ground.

Various symbols and inscriptions are marked on the drone’s fuselage, including the letter “Z” — a likely indication of its use against Ukraine.

The drone likely veered off course due to the operation of electronic warfare systems or a technical malfunction. Losing the ability to adjust its flight path, it flew uncontrollably through Russian and later Kazakhstani airspace.

According to the official report from the Ukrainian Air Force, on the night of March 18 to 19, Russian troops launched drones from the directions of Bryansk, Oryol, Shatalovo, Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsk-Akhtarsk.

Thus, the “stray” Geran-2 drone could have traveled a distance of approximately 700 to 1000 kilometers across the territory of Russia and Kazakhstan — unless, of course, this is a deliberate provocation by Russia.

Russian drones in Kazakhstan

On February 19, Militarnyi reported that a Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone was spotted near an oil pipeline facility in Kazakhstan.

The drone was discovered near a facility of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, a joint Russian-Kazakh enterprise operating the pipeline of the same name.

To obscure its origin, Russian media spread disinformation, attempting to pass it off as a French SAGEM Crecerelle UAV.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan do not use this type of drone, and its presence in an area so far from the front line is difficult to explain other than as a possible preparation for a provocation.