Iran has dispatched trainers from its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to an occupied part of Ukraine to help Russia with drones it purchased from Tehran, said a report published Tuesday.
Citing current and former US officials on the matter, The New York Times reported that the Iranian trainers are operating from a Russian military base in Crimea where many of the drones have been based.
Iran has recently been accused of providing the military drones to Russia after a series of strikes across war-hit Ukraine.
Yes those cheap Iranian drones. Each cost $40K and Russia can fire 50-100 a day saturating Ukrainian airspace. Ukrainians are using small arms to shot them down as they don't have anything else. Even 5% of those reaching the targets eventually will destroy energy infrastructure.
— Alex M (@AlexM25777523) October 19, 2022
The Times said the deployment of the trainers reveals deeper Iranian involvement in the war.
The officials said Russian operators had encountered mechanical problems with the drones leading to their ineffective use.
According to the report, Moscow initially sent its troops to Iran for training, but later Tehran wanted to dispatch its trainers to Crimea.
The Iranian personnel only train Russians on how to fly the drones, according to the officials who spoke to the Times.
The number of trainers sent to Crimea remains unknown.
?? ?? ?? ?? US, UK and France will raise the issue of the supply of Iranian drones to Russia at a closed meeting of the UN Security Council
— MikeReports (@mikereports) October 19, 2022
They claim that the import of Iranian drones is a violation of the UN Security Council resolution on an embargo on arms supplies from Iran pic.twitter.com/ExCv0nPIl5
On Sept. 8, the US designated an air transportation service provider, Tehran-based Safiran Airport Services, for its involvement in the shipment of Iranian drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine.
Washington also sanctioned three companies and one individual involved in the research, development, production and procurement of Iranian drones and components, including the Shahed series of drones, for Iran’s IRGC and its Aerospace Force and Navy.
In a separate report Ukraine accused Iran and Russia on Tuesday of violating UN sanctions over Moscow's receiving shipments of Iranian-made ''kamikaze'' drones after Kyiv was hit by a series of deadly strikes.
Ukraine's ambassador to the UN said Iran has transferred prohibited items to Russia since Jan. 16, 2016 in a letter sent to the UN Security Council and seen by Anadolu Agency.
''Specifically, in late August 2022, Mohajer- and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were transferred from Iran to Russia,'' said Sergiy Kyslytsya. ''Ukraine assesses that this is likely part of Iran's plans to export hundreds of UAVs to Russia.''
He said that both the Mohajer and Shahed drones are manufactured by Qods Aviation, which is subject to an asset freeze under Security Council Resolution 2231.
Transfers of restricted items to or from Iran require advance case-by-case approval by the Security Council, according to the resolution.
Iran has denied claims about Russia using Iranian-made drones in Ukraine as Moscow launched a series of strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
According to media reports citing US and European officials, Iran has agreed to supply drones and surface-to-surface missiles to Russia intended for use in the Ukraine war.
Kyslytsya also invited UN experts to visit Ukraine to inspect recovered Iranian-origin UAVs sold to Russia in violation of UN sanctions.
The US, France and the UK requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the matter on Wednesday, diplomats said.
