IRAN PLANS TO SEND MORE THAN 200 COMBAT DRONES TO RUSSIA: UKRAINE

Tue 01 November 2022:

Iran is planning to send more than 200 combat drones to Russia, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence says,

“At the beginning of November, a batch of more than 200 Shahed-136, Mohajer-6 and Arash-2 combat drones is planned to be sent from Iran to the Russian Federation,” a statement on the government website read.

It said the unmanned aircraft would be delivered over the Caspian Sea to the port of Astrakhan. The drones would arrive unassembled and would be put together on Russian territory and painted with Russian markings, the ministry said.

“Since September 13, when the occupiers first used Iranian kamikaze drones against Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defence Forces have shot down more than 300 such UAVs,” it said.

Iran has repeatedly denied sending weapons to be used against Ukraine.

Iran is preparing to send approximately 1,000 additional weapons, including surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles and more attack drones, to Russia to use in its war against Ukraine, officials from a western country that closely monitors Iran’s weapons program told CNN.

CNN writes that this first instance of Iran sending advanced precision-guided missiles to Russia could give the Kremlin a substantial boost on the battlefield and thus is being monitored closely. So far, Iran had sent numerous Shahed-136 drones that it regularly uses to launch attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. There have also been reports of Iran training Russians to operate the more advanced Arash-2 drones.

This new expected shipment would mark a significant increase in Iranian support to Russia’s war effort. While the precise timing of when the shipment will arrive in Russia is unclear, officials believe the weapons will definitely be delivered before the end of the year.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was “looking at everything that we can do, not just with sanctions” in order to disrupt the Iranian weaponry from going to Russia. But it is unclear if the US will be able to prohibit further shipments from going ahead, even as concerns mount about Iranians sending even more advanced weaponry to Russia. US officials have also said that they are aware of discussions about additional Iranian weaponry to Russia that has not yet been delivered.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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