Fragments of an Iranian Shahed drone shot down by the Ukrainian army near Kupyansk, in the Kharkiv region.
Iran has supplied military drones to Russia. The Iranian foreign minister now confirms this in so many words for the first time. But the delivery happened before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Tehran claims. Iran has not supplied any drones since the start of the war. Russia regularly uses the kamikazedrones to attack targets in Ukraine, especially electricity infrastructure.
"We gave a limited number of drones to Russia months before the war in Ukraine," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Tehran this morning. It is the first time the Iranian regime has acknowledged this, after months of speculation. Iran has always denied supplying weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Iran's ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani just days ago called the allegations "totally unfounded" and reiterated Iran's neutral position in the war in Ukraine. While Iran now claims the delivery happened before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States says the first delivery of drones happened in August. So the war had already been going on for almost half a year.
A drone in the sky over Kiev seconds before hitting some buildings on October 17.Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Russia has been using kamikaze drones for several weeks to target especially electricity infrastructure in Ukraine. But the drones often miss their target. An apartment building in Kiev has already been bombed and several civilians have been killed, including a young couple and a pregnant woman. Fragments of drones labeled "Geran-2", the Russian name for Iran's "Shahed 136" drones, have already been found in several places in Ukraine. The unmanned aerial vehicles full of explosives have a range of more than 1,500 kilometers.
Russia has been using kamikaze drones for several weeks to target especially electricity infrastructure in Ukraine. But the drones often miss their target. An apartment building in Kiev has already been bombed and several civilians have been killed, including a young couple and a pregnant woman. Fragments of drones labeled "Geran-2", the Russian name for Iran's "Shahed 136" drones, have already been found in several places in Ukraine. The unmanned aerial vehicles full of explosives have a range of more than 1,500 kilometers.
A residential block in Kiev was hit by a drone on October 16.
AFP or licensors
Both Russia and Iran have become increasingly isolated internationally in recent years. The American and European sanctions have made it much more difficult for Russia to buy (high-tech) weapons abroad. That is why it is looking for weapons in countries such as Iran, and probably also in North Korea. According to various international media and observers, Iran has even sent military personnel to the Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine. They have to help the Russian army operate the drones. But Iran denies that too.
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