Sept 13 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Russia had launched 8,060 Iran-developed Shahed drones at Ukraine since it began its full-scale invasion 2-1/2 years ago.
“The partnership between Russia and Iran has resulted in lost homes and lost lives,” the foreign ministry said on X.
Kyiv first accused Iran of supplying Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia in autumn 2022, with Moscow’s troops subsequently using them extensively for regular long-range attacks.
The Wall Street Journal reported in May this year that Moscow was also actively producing Shahed type drones by Iranian technology at a plant in the Tartarstan Republic. Until now, Iranian military support for Moscow has been most visible in the supply of those drones, which carry a smaller payload and are easier to shoot down because they travel at a fraction of the speed of ballistic missiles.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia received ballistic missiles from Iran and would likely use it within weeks, a charge Iran has denied. The Kremlin said reports of Russia receiving the missiles were baseless.
Ukraine said that Friday marked two years since Kyiv troops downed the first Iranian drone launched by Russia in the war.
Tehran and Moscow have drawn closer since the February 2022 invasion. The Kremlin has said the two countries are developing dialogue in all areas.
Ukraine’s Western allies said ballistic missile supplies would mark an escalation in the war.
Kyiv said it could cut diplomatic ties with Tehran if those missiles were used by Russia to strike at Ukraine.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa;Editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean)
