The news comes as heavy Russian losses in the conflict over Ukraine have left Vladimir Putin’s army short of cutting-edge equipment as it continues the second phase of its ‘special operation’ in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine. Western sanctions on Russia have made it difficult to replenish stocks and have seen Moscow turn to Tehran – also sanctioned by the United States – to supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Speaking at a White House briefing, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States would continue to support Ukraine as the war raged on.

Discussing the supply of Iranian drones to Russia, Mr. Sullivan said: “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to supply Russia with up to several hundred unmanned aerial vehicles, including UAVs capable of weapons, in an accelerated time frame.

“It is not known if Iran has already delivered any of these drones to Russia.”

In addition to supplying the drones, Iranian operatives will provide special training to Russian forces on the use of the equipment.

Mr Sullivan continued: “This is just one example of how Russia is looking to countries like Iran for capabilities that…were used before we put the ceasefire in place. in Yemen to attack Saudi Arabia.

“We will continue to do our part to help support Ukraine’s effective defense and help the Ukrainians show that the Russian effort to try to wipe Ukraine off the map cannot succeed.”

Speaking of the training involved, Michael Kofman, research program director of the Russian Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analysis, said the training could be delivered quickly.

He said: “Russian forces have lost reconnaissance drones in large numbers.

“Their own capacity to produce armed drones is still nascent.

“They may be interested in Iranian vagrancy munitions or combat drones.

“This is an area where Iran could have more capability.”

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Iranian officials managed to decode the drone’s hard drive and observe the technology, which allowed the RQ-170 to be reverse-engineered and now an integral part of Iranian defenses.

Ties between Tehran and Moscow have grown closer in recent weeks.

Raeisi met Putin at a regional summit last month and, according to Iranian state media reports, will meet him again when the Russian president visits Tehran for an official visit.

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