US intel agency confirms Russian use of Iranian weapons in Ukraine
Mike Brest
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The U.S. intelligence community has confirmed that Russia has used Iranian-made weapons throughout its nearly yearlong war in Ukraine.
A new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, released on Tuesday, analyzed the Shahed-136 one-way attack UAV, the Shahed-131 one-way attack UAV, and the Mohajer-6 multirole UAV. The report compares photos taken of weapons recovered by the Ukrainians with recently declassified images of Iranian UAVs used to attack U.S. and partner interests in the Middle East.
IRANÂ COULD BE ‘CONTRIBUTING’ TO WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE, WHITE HOUSE ALLEGES
U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Iran of helping Russia in its war in Ukraine and have warned about their growing partnership that threatens both the Middle East and beyond.
The Shahed-136, which the Russians have renamed Geran-2, has a distinctive shape with a delta-wing body and vertical stabilizers above and below the body. Iran used the drone in the 2021 attacks against the merchant vessel Mercer Street, while they have also been spotted over Ukraine, mainly last fall. The Shahed-131, renamed the Geran-1 by Russia, has a similar body shape but the vertical stabilizers only extend above the base of the UAV, whereas the Shahed-136’s stabilizers extend above and below it.
The DIA report cited the engine, wing stabilizer, air data collection, fuselage, and nose cone as points of comparison between the Shahed-136 that have been captured in Ukraine, while the wing stabilizer itself is consistent with the shape, size, and markings of those observed in the Middle East.
The DIA was also able to match a Mohajer 6 Multirole UAV, which has been publicly displayed in Iran and Iraq and matches a mostly intact one Ukraine recovered from the Black Sea. Specifically, they used the horizontal stabilizer, serial number, landing gear wheel, and surveillance equipment to match the two.
In early December, John Kirby, the national security council coordinator, warned that the relationship between Tehran and Moscow “is transforming … into a full-fledged defense partnership,” adding that the two sides are working on “the establishment of a joint production line for lethal drones in Russia,” while national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in January that Iran “could potentially be contributing to widespread war crimes.”
The U.S. has issued sanctions related to the production of these Iranian drones.
An Iranian drone that Russia launched in Ukraine contained parts made by more than a dozen U.S. and Western companies, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment obtained by CNN. The assessment found that 40 of the 52 components Ukrainian officials removed from the Iranian Shahed-136 drone appeared to be manufactured by 13 different American companies, while the other 12 were manufactured in Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, and China.
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“We are looking at ways to target Iranian UAV production through sanctions, export controls, and talking to private companies whose parts have been used in the production. We are assessing further steps we can take in terms of export controls to restrict Iran’s access to technologies used in drones,” Adrienne Watson, a national security council spokeswoman, said in a statement in early January to the Washington Examiner when asked about the outlet’s report.
The Russians relied on the Iranian drones mainly in the fall of 2022 as they sought to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in an attempt to break the will of the Ukrainian people by forcing them to suffer through the harsh winter conditions without basic needs such as electricity, heat, or running water.