What Moscow Gave in Exchange for Iranian Drones: Sky News Coverage

The Russian authorities have sent Iran €140 million in cash and samples of Western weapons seized in Ukraine in exchange for a batch of drones, Sky News reports citing its own sources, as noted by news.sky.com.

According to the British broadcaster, a Russian plane arrived at Tehran's airport on August 20, delivering €140 million in cash and samples of weapons seized in Ukraine, including the British NLAW anti-tank missile, the American Javelin anti-tank missile, and the Stinger surface-to-air missile system.

The received weapons could allow Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to learn and replicate Western technology for use in future conflicts, the source from Sky News suggests. It is noted that in exchange for weapons and cash, Russia has received over 160 Iranian drones from the IRGC, including 100 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones.

The broadcaster's interlocutor asserts that in recent days, another deal worth €200 million regarding drones has been concluded between Tehran and Moscow. "This means that another large batch of drones will soon arrive from Iran," he stated.

Kyiv accuses Moscow of attacking civilian targets using Iranian drones. The Ukrainian side has reported that its military has managed to shoot down over 300 Iranian-made devices on its territory, including in Kyiv. The Russian side officially denies these accusations. However, in October, a representative of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Defense allowed a slip regarding the use of Iranian weapons during a live broadcast on RBC.

On November 5, Iran admitted to supplying Shahed drones to Russia. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, "a small number" of drones were supplied months before the start of the Russian invasion.

CNN, citing unnamed officials from a Western country closely monitoring Iran's arms program, reported that Tehran is preparing to send about a thousand more weapons to Moscow for the war in Ukraine. This includes 450 tactical drones and short-range "ground-to-ground" ballistic missiles.