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Russian military units will soon be heading into battle with equipment provided by one of its few remaining allies: Iran.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, claiming that Russian forces already have Iranian-made equipment in storage awaiting shipment to the field. This includes roughly 1,500 bulletproof vests and 1,500 helmets intended for use by Russia's 3rd Motorized Rifle Division.
The Ukrainian ministry claimed that this new shipment of equipment was sent by Iran in response to reports that Russia's military was suffering major setbacks in producing gear for its soldiers. This shortage was, in part, due to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent partial mobilization effort, which conscripted hundreds of thousands of men in the span of a month to help bolster the war effort in Ukraine.
This influx of equipment, the Ukrainian government claimed in its statement, is not the only assistance that Iran is planning to give Russia.
"The Iranian authorities plan to send a new group of advisers to assist the Russian Federation in the combat use of a new type of [unmanned aerial vehicle] - 'Arash-2' and Iranian surface-to-surface missiles," the statement claimed, as translated to English. "Their deliveries are planned to start in the near future. Also from Iran, a group of advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps arrived in Jankoy [a town in Crimea] to provide assistance in the combat use and improvement of the 'Shahed-136' and 'Mohajer-6' UAVs."
Throughout Russia's campaign in Ukraine, Iran has denied reports that it has supplied drones to its ally's military. Ukraine, meanwhile, has repeatedly claimed to have shot down scores of Iranian-made drones. On Wednesday, the country claimed to have downed more than 200 of the unmanned crafts in one month alone.
On October 15, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also disputed Iran's denial, citing insider leaks claiming that Russia has purchased a number of new, cutting-edge drones from the country. The report also claimed that Russia was using its partnership with Iran to get around the sanctions imposed on the country by other nations.
"Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels reported 'leaked' information from unspecified Iranian sources that Russia has purchased an unknown number of Arash-2 drones, which are purportedly faster and more destructive than the Shahed-136 drones that are currently in use by Russian forces," the ISW explained in its report.
Newsweek hasreached out to officials in the Iranian and Russian governments for comment.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more