Russia has signed a secret agreement with Iran for the production of Iranian drones on Russian territory for use in the war in Ukraine. The American media The Washington Post reported this information, referring to the data of American and other intelligence agencies.
A secret agreement between Iran and Russia
According to new intelligence obtained by the United States and other Western security services, after several weeks of attacks on Ukrainian cities with the help of Iranian-made kamikaze drones, Moscow has secretly reached an agreement with Tehran to begin production of hundreds of drones in Russia, the report said.
According to the newspaper, Russian and Iranian officials finalized the deal in early November in Iran.
According to three officials, Tehran and Moscow are trying to transfer projects and key components to each other. In particular, they are doing everything to start producing kamikaze drones in Russia within a few months.
Iran’s relations with the Kremlin may deepen
Moreover, officials say that in case of full implementation of this agreement, the Russian-Iranian alliance will deepen.
“By buying its own assembled line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems that have changed the nature of warfare in recent weeks,” the report said.
In addition, officials believe that these agreements provide economic and political benefits for Iran. Although Tehran tried to appear neutral, its authorities believe that they can avoid new sanctions. In particular, given the fact that the drones will be manufactured on Russian territory.
Iranian drones in Russia’s terror tactics
According to intelligence sources, since August, Russia has utilized more than 400 Iranian-made attack drones against Ukraine, with many of the aircraft being used in attacks against targets in civilian infrastructure like power plants.
Moscow has switched to a strategy of ruthless air attacks on Ukrainian cities after being forced to surrender Ukrainian territory by its troops captured early in the war. It uses a combination of cruise missiles and kamikaze drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for millions of people.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has sharply criticized Iran’s plan to provide Russia with armaments and called for new sanctions against the Islamic nation. In a speech broadcast on November 6, he declared, “Its complicity in Russian terror must be punished.”
Iranian drones supply to Russia
On November 8, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev visited Iran. Officially, it was said then that the parties were to discuss alleged economic sanctions and other “Western interference”. However, the US Institute for the Study of War said that Patrushev probably went to Tehran to discuss the potential sale of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.
On November 8, the media reported that in late August, Putin sent 140 million euros in cash to Tehran, as well as captured British-made NLAW, Javelin, and Stinger anti-tank missiles, captured in Ukraine, in exchange for 160 additional kamikaze drones.
Also on November 5, Iran admitted that it had transferred drones to Russia. However, allegedly only until February 24, 2022, which turned out to be untrue. After all, our intelligence revealed that the parts of the drones shot down in Ukraine were manufactured after February 24. They showed the parts of the downed Iranian drone to the Ukrainian media Suspilne, as solid proof.
Read also: Iran admitted it supplied drones to Russia, but why its version is implausible?
EU adopted sanctions against Iran for drones supply to Russia
The European Union adopted new sanctions against Iran for combat drone delivery to Russia, which is at war against Ukraine.
Why Iranian version is implausible?
Despite the Iranian declaration, the chronology of the events on the battlefield does not seem to support this version. Russia only started using Iranian attack drones in the war in September. Why then didn’t Moscow employ drones before while losing battles in the war if it had it? The Iranian declaration seems to be a very awkward attempt to find a justification for this wrongdoing knowing that it cannot deny anymore that Russia obtained its drones.
Iranian advisors spotted in the war in Ukraine
Furthermore, Iran sent its military advisors to instruct Russian troops on how to use its combat drones, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Kyiv stated that the Iranian government also intends to send a new group of advisors to Russia to train Russian troops in the use of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles and a brand-new class of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), called the “Arash-2.” Their deliveries are expected to start soon.
Read also: 10 Iranian instructors killed in Ukraine war
A group of advisers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also left Iran for Dzhankoy, in the occupied Crimea, where they will instruct the Russian invading troops on how to utilize “Shahed-136” and “Mohajer-6” drones to strike Ukrainian cities.
Using Iranian-made drones Russia destroyed important parts of the energy infrastructure of Ukraine.
Read also: EU approved sanctions against Iran over drones supply to Russia
