Over 8,000 Iranian-made kamikaze drones were launched by Russia into Ukraine since 2022 - report

The US had previously warned Ukraine in 2022 that Iran was in the process of supplying Russia with drones, Iran International reported on Saturday.

 A rescuer rests at the site of a Russian drone and missile strike on residential buildings, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine September 4, 2024.  (photo credit: REUTERS/ROMAN BALUK)
A rescuer rests at the site of a Russian drone and missile strike on residential buildings, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine September 4, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/ROMAN BALUK)

Russia has launched approximately 8,060 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at Ukrainian territory, Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry posted to their X/Twitter account on Friday. 

According to the ministry's statement, exactly two years ago, in 2022, Ukraine shot down the first Iranian Shahed-136 drones that were launched by Russia. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that the drone attacks resulted in lost homes and lost lives. 

The US had previously warned Ukraine in 2022 that Iran was in the process of supplying Russia with drones, Iran International reported on Saturday.

Western media, cited by Iran International, stated that Russia began producing Iranian Shahed-136 drones at a factory in Tatarstan, in central Russia.  

The WSJ reported in early September that Iran transported short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, citing American and European officials. 

The US informed its allies of Iran's shipments to Russia, European officials said, and US officials reportedly confirmed that the Iranian missiles "have finally been delivered," the WSJ said in their report. 

The same report by the WSJ noted that Iran denied that it delivered such missiles to Russia to use in the ongoing war. 

International concern over Iranian-Russian arms deals 

Foreign ministers of the G7 (Group of Seven), which comprises the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Great Britain, on Saturday condemned "in the strongest terms" Iran's export and Russia's procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles. 

"Iran must immediately cease all support to Russia's illegal and unjustifiable war against Ukraine and halt such transfers of ballistic missiles, UAVs and related technology, which constitute a direct threat to the Ukrainian people as well as European and international security more broadly," the G7 ministers said in a statement.


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Additionally, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed concern during a meeting on Friday about Iran and North Korea providing lethal weapons to Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine, according to a White House readout.

Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 drones are among other weapons in Russia's arsenal, including cruise and ballistic missiles used to attack Ukraine and overwhelm its air defense system, Iran International noted.

Western countries have come to Ukraine's aid by supplying more air defense systems to Ukraine, though it has been costly; according to Iran International, shooting down cheap drones with expensive missiles drains Ukraine's defense budget. 

Reuters contributed to this report.