Iranian Regime Supplying More Attack Drones to Russia, Ukrainian Military Says

Ben Cohen

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, second right, listens to Chief of Aviation Industries of Armed Forces Gen. Afshin Khajehfard, as Defense Minister Gen. Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, right, listens, during a ceremony unveiling a drone called the Mohajer-10, August 22, 2023. (Iranian Presidency Office, via AP)

Iran has sent a new batch of its deadly “Shahed” drones to its Russian ally, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

Speaking on Ukrainian television on Thursday, Natalia Humenyuk — head of the joint press center of the Southern Operational Command of the country’s military — said that the transfer had taken place earlier this week.

“Literally the day before yesterday, the flight of the next air cargo board from Tehran to Moscow was recorded,” Humenyuk said, referring to the transfer on Dec. 27.

“This suggests that [weapons] supplies have not stopped,” she said. “[Russia] continues to receive support from Iran.”

Iran has established itself as one of Russia’s most reliable allies since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022. In a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed “robust disapproval” of Russia’s “dangerous” cooperation with Iran, according to an Israeli readout of the call between the two leaders.

Humenyuk addressed the issue of Russia’s use of Iranian drones in response to a question about Ukraine’s successful strike on Tuesday against the Novocherkassk, a Russian tank landing ship that is part of Moscow’s prized Black Sea fleet.

The Iranian drones were part of more than 150 missiles and drones launched on Friday by Russian forces against the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv. At least 30 people were reported to have been killed and dozens more wounded.

Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, told the AFP news agency that Friday’s attacks were a “record number” and the “most massive missile attack” of the war, with the exception of the Russian bombardment that accompanied the invasion in the first days of the conflict.