Ukraine war
Iran apparently sends drone instructors to Crimea
Soldiers of the Russian National Guard (Rosguardia) march in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, annexed in 2014. photo
© Uncredited/AP/dpa
In the bombing of Ukrainian cities, Russia also uses Iranian-made drones. Moscow and Tehran deny the cooperation – but US media reports of trainers from Iran in Crimea.
Iran has reportedly sent instructors to the Russian-annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea to train Russians on how to operate Iranian drones. The New York Times reported, citing current and former officials familiar with intelligence information.
The Iranian trainers were supposed to help the Russians deal with problems with the drone fleet acquired from Tehran. This is another sign of the growing closeness between Iran and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine eight months ago.
In the past few days, the Russian army has increasingly shot down Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at the energy supply in Ukraine, but also at cities. Both Moscow and Tehran deny an arms deal with the drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the use of Iranian drones by Russia as a declaration of bankruptcy by Moscow.
According to the New York Times, the Iranian trainers operate from a Russian military base in Crimea, where many of the drones have been stationed since they were delivered from Iran. The instructors belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. The organization is classified by the US as a terrorist organization.
The deployment of the Iranian trainers appears to coincide with the increased use of drones in Ukraine and indicates greater Iranian involvement in the war, it said. According to the officials, the Iranian instructors are far from the front lines and would be used to teach the Russians how to fly the drones. It is not known how many instructors were sent or whether they controlled the drones themselves.
Former senior Pentagon official and retired CIA officer Mick Mulroy told the newspaper: “Deploying drones and trainers to Ukraine has embroiled Iran deeply in the war on the Russian side and directly involved Tehran in operations that have killed civilians and injured civilians were injured.” Even if it’s just trainers and tactical advisors in Ukraine, he thinks that’s important. Deliberate attacks on civilian targets constitute war crimes.
Ganz: Israel will not supply arms to Ukraine
Meanwhile, despite Russian attacks using Iranian-made combat drones, Israel continues to rule out arms deliveries. “I want to make it clear that we are not selling arms to Ukraine,” Secretary of Defense Benny Gantz told Kol Chai radio on Tuesday night. Only medical and humanitarian aid is provided. This will remain so. Ganz made it clear: “I am the defense minister and I am responsible for the export of Israeli weapons.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced on Tuesday that he would ask Israel for air defense systems. “If Israel’s policy really is to consistently oppose Iran’s destructive actions, then it is time for Israel to openly side with Ukraine,” Kuleba said. According to information from Kyiv, more than 70 people have been killed by drone and rocket attacks in the past few days.
Israel is largely holding back in Russia’s war of aggression, which has been going on for almost eight months, so as not to jeopardize its relations with Moscow.