Russia's use of Iranian drones in Ukraine hints at reliance on Iran
Problems equipping Russian troops with "nationally developed drones" leave Russia's military primarily operating Iranian drones.
The use of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by Russian forces in Ukraine has ceased to be taboo in Russian society.
Officials continue to call news about Iranian drone deliveries to Russia "artificially promoted" "fakes," but the Russian press writes about it quite freely and without hesitation, despite current laws that prohibit disseminating data about the army that contradict official ones.
Moreover, even the Russian Ministry of Defense — an agency whose representatives call any major retreat a "regrouping" without blinking an eye — has begun to acknowledge problems in equipping the troops with nationally developed drones. Thus, at the end of September, Col. Igor Ischuk, a representative of the Defense Ministry, stated directly that most Russian UAVs do not meet the tactical and technical requirements of the agency, which as a result "has to go to simplification, to additional approvals, to acceptance of drones for pilot operation."
However, even such statements do not mean that in the near future Moscow or Tehran will admit the obvious and thereby confirm rumors of a growing military-technical partnership.
