Russia mass ordering Shahed suicide drones, seeks to self-manufacture
Russia is likely now receiving Iran’s Shahed suicide drones by ship over the Caspian Sea from Iran due to larger consignments, said the UK’s Ministry of Defense in its June 13 update.
Russia has become so reliant on Iran’s Shahed one-way-attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs) that shipments now are too large for air transport.
“This ‘International North-South Transit Corridor’ has assumed much more importance since the invasion,” the ministry said.
“It allows Russia to access Asian markets — including arms transfers — in ways it hopes are less vulnerable to international sanctions.”
In recent months, Russia has highly likely worked to ensure its long-term, high-volume supply of OWA-UAVs, the agency said.
Russia is also starting work on the domestic production of OWA-UAVs, almost certainly with Iranian assistance.
Russia is highly likely investing in OWA-UAVs because it provides Russia with a relatively cheap long-range strike capability at a time when it has expended a large proportion of its cruise missile stocks in Ukraine.
“By supplying these weapons, Iran continues to breach UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” reads the report.
Over the past six months, cargo ships have carried more than 300,000 artillery shells and a million rounds of ammunition from Iran to Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 24.
U.S. intelligence data shows that Iran is providing Russia with materials to build a drone plant to ensure a stable supply of weapons for the war against Ukraine, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said on June 9.
A Chinese-made part made in 2023 was found in an Iranian suicide drone intercepted in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported on June 12.
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