Russia is almost certainly increasingly sourcing weaponry from other heavily sanctioned states like Iran and North Korea as its own stocks dwindle.
The British Ministry of Defence stated this in its intelligence update on Wednesday, September 14.
Analysts noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine yesterday first reported on the downing of the Iranian Shahed-136 UAV near Kupyansk, which Russia purchased from Tehran. This suggests that foreign drones are used directly on the battlefield.
At the same time, British intelligence believes that the Russian Armed Forces are likely to use UAVs to target not strategic targets, but tactical ones.
The Shahed 136 is a one-way attack UAV with a claimed range of 2,500 kilometers. Similar Iranian-made systems were likely used during attacks in the Middle East, particularly against the MT Mercer Street oil tanker in July 2021, the intelligence explains.
“The loss of a Shahed-136 near the front lines suggests there is a realistic possibility that Russia is attempting to use the system to conduct tactical strikes rather than against more strategic targets farther into Ukrainian territory,” the statement said.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in mid-July, Western media reported that Russia was negotiating with Iran to buy several hundred strike drones to use them against Ukraine.
According to media reports, the Russian delegation at least twice visited Iran to study the combat capabilities of Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 drones.
And in early August, analysts of the Institute for the Study War said Iran could have begun transferring drones to Russia, hoping to get Russian Su-35 warplanes in return.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of Ukraine highly likely destroyed an Iranian strike unmanned aerial vehicle near Kupyansk, Kharkiv region.
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