Hundreds of Iranian drones have arrived in Russia and are ready for operational use as part of the war against Ukraine, Western intelligence sources told the AP news agency.
The deal, which came to fruition after months of preparations, marks a further rapprochement between Russia and Iran, in which Moscow may assist the Iranian nuclear program in transferring knowledge and establishing new facilities.
Iran sent the UAVs to Russia despite warnings from the US not to do so.
According to what is known, the unmanned vessels are capable of carrying weapons, but a military official estimated in a conversation with "Israel Hayom" a few weeks ago, when the reports about the emerging deal began, that the Russians need them mainly for tactical intelligence and target acquisition.
It is not clear if the Russians have already used the new drones, but according to the intelligence officials who spoke to the AP, the aircraft are in operational condition and ready for use. Iran has a developed drone and UAV industry, in which it is investing as a cheap and effective alternative to an air force based on manned aircraft .
Iranian drones have demonstrated operational capability in several attacks against targets throughout the Middle East, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In the largest attack, carried out in September 2019 by the Iran-backed Houthi militia, heavy damage was caused to Saudi oil facilities, which caused a decrease in oil production of the kingdom for a relatively long period of time.
Iran also tried several times to send attacking drones towards Israel, but these were intercepted ahead of time. In March of this year, hundreds of Iranian drones stored in a huge hangar in western Iran were destroyed in an attack attributed to Israel.
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