"Intervention in Civilian Killings": Russia Also Deploys Elite Troops (Comprehensive)

Suicide Drones Followed by Ballistic Missiles Soon to Be Supplied
Russia Directly Involved in Civilian Killing Operations

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Iran, which has been supplying weapons to Russia, has been revealed to have directly deployed its elite troops. As evidence emerges that Iran has moved beyond mere weapon support to directly participating in operations that kill civilians, tensions surrounding the Ukraine war are escalating.

On the 18th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that Iran, criticized for selling suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to Russia, has even dispatched drone instructors to Russian military bases in the Crimean Peninsula.

NYT cited anonymous current and former U.S. officials, reporting that instructors from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been deployed to Crimea to teach Russian troops how to operate drones.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, is attending a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the 77th UN General Assembly held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 22nd of last month (local time).
(Photo by Reuters)

U.S. officials explained that drone training, which was initially conducted by Russia sending personnel to Iran, failed to produce satisfactory results, leading Iran to change its approach by directly dispatching instructors to Russia.

NYT reported that the timing of the deployment of Iranian instructors and the notable operational use of drones by Russia coincide, providing evidence that Iran is deeply involved in the Ukraine war.

Mick Mulroy, a former CIA official, evaluated, "By supplying drones and dispatching training instructors, Iran has directly participated in operations that have killed civilians."

Foreign media, citing multiple senior Iranian officials and diplomats, reported that Iran has promised to supply Russia with ballistic missiles following the suicide drones.

On the 6th, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber visited Moscow with two senior IRGC officials and one official from the Supreme National Security Council, reaching an agreement on arms exports.

An Iranian diplomat said, "Russia requested additional unmanned aerial vehicles along with more accurate Iranian ballistic missiles, especially the Fateh Zolfaghar missile."

Debris of the Iranian Shahed-136 revealed through Telegram.

The drones used by Russia in airstrikes that caused numerous civilian casualties in Kyiv and other locations are the Iranian-made Shahed-136, also known as ‘kamikaze drones.’ They have a cruising speed of 120 km/h, a maximum range of 700 km, and can carry a 40 kg warhead. Their power is comparable to ballistic missiles, but their price is very low at $20,000 per unit.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Russia has deployed Shahed-136 drones to strike major cities including Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv. Between the 17th and 18th, Ukrainian forces shot down 51 Shahed-136 drones. Analysts suggest that Russia, running low on war materials and resources, is increasingly relying on inexpensive Iranian drones.

Iran denies selling drones, but debris from Shahed-136 drones has been repeatedly found in various Ukrainian cities hit by Russian airstrikes.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released images of fragments of the Iranian Shahed-136 at bombing sites, explaining that the drone’s wing tips are labeled "Geran-2" in Russian instead of the original name to conceal their Iranian origin.

Ukraine is pushing to sever diplomatic ties with Iran, which has been supplying drones to Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a press conference that "extensive evidence has been secured that weapons used in the Kyiv airstrikes are Iranian-made," adding, "Iran must take full responsibility for the breakdown of relations between the two countries."

He criticized, "Iran is lying by denying that it provided weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war," calling Iran’s actions "evil and deceptive."

Last month on the 23rd, Ukraine stripped the credentials of Iran’s ambassador to Ukraine and significantly reduced the number of Iranian diplomats stationed in Kyiv, downgrading diplomatic relations between the two countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.