Ukraine has been intercepting Shahed-136 kamikaze drones since mid-September. Although it is an Iranian model, Tehran does not want to have delivered the dangerous aircraft to Russia. Bilaterally, the Russian ally offers leadership of the Islamic Republic
Iran is offering bilateral talks with Ukraine to debunk allegedly false accusations that Russia is using Iranian drones in its attacks on Ukrainian cities. Iran's Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian said this to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a telephone call, according to the Foreign Ministry's website in Tehran. "We deny the allegations in this regard and are also prepared to discuss and resolve this in bilateral technical meetings with Kyiv," the Iranian chief diplomat is quoted as saying.
According to Amirabdollahian, Iran has good relations with Russia and long-term military cooperation. However, Tehran is opposed to the war in Ukraine and refuses to take direct part in the conflict. At the same time, the Iranian leadership has never criticized Russia for the invasion, but even justified it as a countermeasure to NATO's eastward expansion.
Findings from the Ukrainian leadership and the US government paint a different picture. According to its own statements, the Ukrainian military has shot down more than 300 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones since mid-September, which Russia is said to have bought in Iran. Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told journalists in Kyiv. It is assumed that Russia has ordered 2,400 such drones. The EU had decided on sanctions against Iran for supporting the Russian war against Ukraine.
According to the US government, the Russian troops are even supported in the drone attacks by Iranian military in the annexed Crimea. "Tehran is now directly involved on the ground," recently explained John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council. The Iranian trainers are supposed to train the Russians in how to operate the drones.
For several weeks now, the Russian army has been increasingly using Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones. Most of the attacks are aimed at Ukraine's energy supply, but cities are also being attacked. Both Moscow and Tehran deny an arms deal with the drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the use of Iranian drones by Russia as a declaration of bankruptcy for the Russian military.
