The material wear and tear of Putin's troops in Ukraine is enormous, and the Russian armaments industry has been paralyzed by sanctions. According to a US report, Moscow is now buying from abroad and finding a supplier in Iran.
Iran is stepping up its commitment to supplying weapons for Russia's attack on Ukraine. The Washington Post reports, citing US security officials. Iran has secretly agreed to send not only attack drones, but also the first Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles intended for use against Ukrainian cities and troop positions.
The Iranian defense industry has therefore prepared a first delivery of Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles. These short-range ballistic missiles are capable of hitting targets at a range of 300 and 700 kilometers, respectively. Should the delivery go ahead, it would be the first such missiles to Russia since the beginning of the war. Some models are equipped with electro-optical guidance systems that allow the missile to be precisely steered up to impact.
According to US reports, Russia has lost more than 6,000 pieces of equipment in Ukraine since the start of the war. Russia "is using up ammunition at an unsustainable rate," said Morgan Muir, deputy director of the agency's National Intelligence for Mission Integration. The sanctions against Russia would paralyze its own arms industry.
According to Iranian sources, Russia has also signed a new contract with Iran for the supply of Arash-2 drones. Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels reported "leaked" information that Russia has bought an unknown number of the drones, which are said to be faster and more destructive than the Shahed-136 drones currently deployed by the Russian armed forces.
Independent news agencies recently published photos of the remains of what appear to be Iranian drones used in Ukraine. This challenged Iran's many claims that it has not supplied Russia with such weapons. Pentagon officials also publicly acknowledged the use of Iranian drones in Russian airstrikes, as well as Ukraine's success in shooting down some of those drones.
Iran has officially denied any arms deliveries to either warring party. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has not and will not supply any weapons for the war in Ukraine," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a conversation with his Portuguese counterpart. "We believe that arming each side of the crisis will prolong the war."
