Iranian Military Personnel Deployed in Crimea to Assist Russians with Iranian Drones: Politico

In the illegally annexed Crimea, a small number of Iranian troops are deployed, which are "directly involved" in organizing drone strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure. This was stated by John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, as reported by Politico.

Kirby noted that Iran has sent relatively few military experts to assist Russia in operating the military drones that Russia imports from Iran. According to Radio Free Europe, the British government has also reported the presence of members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Crimea, aiding in the operation of Iranian drones.

“According to our information, the Iranians have sent instructors and technicians to Crimea,” Kirby said. He added that the Biden administration intends to impose new sanctions against Iran and find ways to complicate Russia's procurement of such weaponry.

The need for sending instructors is likely due to issues that became apparent after the initial use of Iranian drones to strike Ukrainian targets.

U.S. intelligence indicates that after starting their operations in August, the Russians faced equipment failures, and the drones' capabilities did not meet the specifications claimed by the manufacturers. The cause was likely the Russians' lack of experience in operating these weapon systems.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and France argue that Iran's supply of drones to Russia violates a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution, under which Tehran committed not to export certain types of weapons in exchange for the easing of sanctions. The U.S. and its allies plan to bring this issue to discussion in the UN Security Council.

Both Moscow and Tehran assert that Russia is not importing Iranian drones.