Russia using Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, US confirms

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US confirmed Thursday that Russia is using Iranian military drones to bolster Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

"Today we can confirm that Russian military personnel that are based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs, using them to conduct strikes across Ukraine, including strikes against Kyiv," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.

"We assess that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations," said Kirby, adding that Russia has received dozens of drones and will likely continue to receive additional shipments in the future.

"We are concerned that Russia may also seek to acquire advanced conventional weapons from Iran such as surface-to-surface missiles that will almost certainly be used to support the war against Ukraine," he added.

He said Iranian personnel who have been deployed to the Crimean Peninsula are comprised of "trainers and some technical support to help the Russians use" Iran-supplied drones "with better lethality."

Kirby's remarks came one day after State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US has "abundant evidence" that Russia is using Iran-made military drones to attack Ukraine.

"The United States began warning in July that Iran was planning to transfer UAVs to Russia for use in Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, and we now have abundant evidence that these UAVs are being used to strike Ukrainian civilians and critical civilian infrastructure," Price said in a statement.

*Michael Hernandez contributed to the story