Iran says it delivered drones to Russia months before the Ukraine war - NPR

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This undated photograph released by the Ukrainian military's Strategic Communications Directorate shows the wreckage of what Kyiv has described arsenic an Iranian Shahed drone downed adjacent Kupiansk, Ukraine. Iran has acknowledged for the archetypal clip that it sent drones to Russia but says the transportation happened earlier the penetration of Ukraine. Ukrainian military's Strategic Communications Directorate via AP hide caption

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Ukrainian military's Strategic Communications Directorate via AP

KYIV, Ukraine — Iran has acknowledged for the archetypal clip that it has provided subject drones to Russia, but says lone a fewer were delivered months earlier the penetration of Ukraine.

Speaking to Iran's state-run media, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian downplayed the fig of drones that were provided to Russia. He besides denied that Iran continues to proviso the weapons. "We gave a constricted fig of drones to Russia months earlier the Ukraine war," helium said.

However, Ukrainian officials accidental the drones person go a cardinal portion of Moscow's arsenal. In his nightly address connected Saturday, Ukrainian President Zelensky accused the Iranians of "lying" successful their admission, claiming that it does not uncover the afloat grade of Iran's involvement.

"We sprout down astatine slightest 10 Iranian drones each day, yet the Iranian authorities claims that it supplied Russia with lone a tiny fig of them, and those earlier the commencement of the full-scale invasion" helium said. "Only during 1 time yesterday, 11 Shahed drones were destroyed."

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov added that the drones are regularly utilized to people civilian areas. He said the weapons from Iran are playing a cardinal relation successful Russia's battle connected powerfulness plants and different electrical infrastructure astir his country. Ukraine's authorities energy relation has advised determination volition beryllium regular blackouts successful the superior and different regions arsenic a effect of the ongoing drone and rocket strikes.

Reznikov besides said that Iran was underplaying its involvement, and that Ukraine has details of contracts which amusement that Iran agreed to proviso Russia with "between 1500 to 2400 drones". He claimed that Ukraine's forces person changeable down hundreds of Iranian drones, though immoderate of them inactive get done and deed their targets.

Russia has alleged that Western nations person turned the struggle into a proxy warfare by shipping blase missiles and different armaments to Ukraine.

Ukraine has besides accused Iran of sending subject unit to Crimea to bid Russian troops connected however to run the weapons. Iran denies the claim.

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