Russia's Payment to Iran for Providing 300 Kamikaze Drones in Ukraine War, Revealed

Russia has been providing Iran with "modern military weapons" in return for kamikaze drones, UK's defense minister claimed on Tuesday.

After nearly 10 months of conflict, Russia has depended on Iranian drones to supplement its decreasing supply of missiles and has been using them to strike power plants and other civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Russia Deploys Iranian Drones in Ukraine

The Shahed-136 is the most prevalent and inexpensive to manufacture. The situation in the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia claims to have seized, according to President Vladimir Putin, is "very challenging."

Putin instructed his intelligence network to intensify monitoring within Russia in order to seek for "spies, saboteurs, and traitors." During a surprise visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

Overnight, Russia struck oil and gas infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, igniting a fire but inflicting no deaths. The Defense Secretary emphasized that despite growing energy costs, NATO nations must maintain their robust opposition to Russia, The Telegraph via MSN reported.

The United Kingdom will provide thousands of cold weather kits and 900 generators to assist the war-torn country prepare for winter.

Earlier on Tuesday, the head of foreign policy for the European Union, Josep Borrell, reminded Iran's foreign minister that Tehran must immediately cease its military backing for Russia.

Iran has confirmed giving Moscow with drones, but claims they were provided prior to Russia's deployment of drones to strike civilian infrastructure and power plants in Ukraine.

Britain, the United States, and the European Union have sanctioned Iranian military personnel and defense industries suspected of involvement in the export of Iranian drones to Russia, as per Reuters via MSN.

Russia-Ukraine War Update

According to Daily Mail, Russian military launched a series of attacks on Kyiv early on Monday, employing Iranian-made drones to target Ukraine's electrical infrastructure.

Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated through Telegram that Solomyanskyi and Shevchenkovskyi heard "several explosions." A portion of the city's "essential infrastructure facilities" were destroyed, leaving around 3% of clients without heat, although the water supply system continues to function normally.

The Ukrainian atomic energy agency Energoatom accused Russia of "an absolutely unacceptable violation of nuclear and radiation safety" for flying one of the drones over a portion of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in the Mykolaiv region, while the Ukrainian armed forces claimed Russia launched 35 Iranian-made Shahed "kamikaze" drones, of which they intercepted thirty. The missiles were launched from the "eastern shore of the Azov Sea."

The attacks on Monday follow one of Russia's heaviest missile barrages since the conflict began in February, which occurred last Friday.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said that 60 of the 76 air- and sea-based cruise missiles fired against locations around the nation from the capital city of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Odessa, Poltava, Zhytomyr, and Sumy had been destroyed.

Prior to winter, Russia shifted its military plan in October to focus on attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Since then, Russia has often destroyed Ukraine's electrical system, leaving millions of citizens without electricity, heat, or running water.

Winter has already begun, and the country is already experiencing subfreezing temperatures, while officials decry that the system is on the verge of a major breakdown.

As a result, the United States and its allies have provided the country with millions of dollars in aid to assist in making the necessary repairs.

John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council of the White House, told reporters on Friday that the attacks targeted "largely civilian infrastructure" and that Russia is "again attempting to strike fear into the hearts of the Ukrainian people and make winter that much more difficult for them."

Despite reports that the administration is finalizing arrangements to provide Ukraine the Patriot missile defense system, Obama did not announce a fresh military aid package. The system can require up to 90 service members to run and maintain it, and the training often takes several months.

Kirby has repeatedly expressed concern about the strengthening ties between Tehran and Moscow, particularly in recent months. According to him, Iran has given Russia with "several hundred UAVs."