Iran smuggles combat drones to Russia - The Guardian
Iran supplies Russia with its own combat drones, which it uses to continue its aggression against Ukraine, through smuggling routes, including sea shipments and state air transportation.
This is stated by British publication "The Guardian", reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform.
"Most of the drones that were sent to Russia were secretly loaded onto Iranian ships at bases on the Caspian Sea coast and then transferred by sea to Russian ships. Others were sent by Iranian airlines, which are owned by the state," the newspaper reports, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, at least 18 drones were delivered to Russian warships during a visit of Russian technical specialists to Tehran in November, where they were presented with various Iranian technologies. The Russian delegation, which included 10 specialists, selected six Mohajer-6 drones with a range of up to 200 kilometers, capable of carrying two missiles, as well as 12 Shahed 191 and Shahed 129 drones, also of the air-to-ground class.
"Unlike the already known Shahed 131 and 136 drones, which were widely used by Russia in kamikaze attacks against targets in Ukraine, the new drones have a higher altitude and are aimed at delivering bombs and returning to base," the report said.
According to the publication, Iran also sent technical specialists to Moscow to help operate these drones. On average, the delegation consisted of three specialists for each drone delivered, a total of 54 people who were supposed to help integrate the smuggled munitions for use by the Russian military.
As the newspaper notes, with the reduction in the number of missiles used in Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, Russia has turned to Iran and North Korea to replenish its arsenals.
"Many Ukrainians fear that Russia is planning to launch a major attack on the first anniversary of the war - in less than two weeks," The Guardian adds.
