Up to 20 Iranian instructors were reportedly observed in the Kherson region, occupied by Russian invading troops, according to the Ukrainian Center of National Resistance. The cited location is close to the frontline on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Iran also assists Russia in using Crimea to fire Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, according to the source. In particular, the instructors were seen at the Kirovskyi military airfield, close to Cape Tarkhankut, and the Chauda training area.
Vehicles like the KamAZ or URAL are used to transport drones. It is also conceivable to employ regular transportation, such as trucks, to move maritime containers containing drones.
The Center of National Resistance previously stated that Iranians are based in the communities of Gladivtsi (Kherson Oblast), Dzhankoi, and Zaliznyy port (Crimea). They teach Russians in the use of kamikaze drones and watch closely as drones are used to attack civilian sites in Ukraine, notably Mykolayiv and Odessa.
Iranian instructors are from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – reports
The Iranian instructors’ main task, according to the source, is to train Russian operators to work correctly with Shahed-136 (Russian name: Geran-2) drones provided by Iran. The use of the first batches of Iranian-made drones by the Russian invading troops revealed the inefficiency of this technique.
According to the Center of National Resistance’s sources who wished to remain anonymous, the Iranian instructors are part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is part of the Iranian armed forces, and it is intended to protect the country’s Islamic republic political system and involved in Tehran’s military operations abroad.
The IRGC shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane
Back in January 2020, the Revolutionary Guard admitted that they had shot down by mistake the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. Iran said its forces launched two surface-to-air missiles at the passenger jet that crashed killing all 176 people onboard.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: terrorist designation
The US Department of the Treasury claims the Iranian Corps has supported several organizations the US deems to be terrorist, including Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Taliban.
Since 15 April 2019, the United States considers the IRGC a terrorist organization. On 8 April, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that America’s terrorist designation was the fulfillment of “another important request of mine.”
The European Union adopted sanctions against the IRGC, though has not designated it as a terrorist group.
