Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense claimed on Tuesday for the first time that it shot down an Iranian drone launched by Russians.
The ministry posted photos of the wreckage of the drone on social media and identified it as a Shahed-136. It said the army shot down the drone near Kupiansk, Kharkiv, the location of Ukraine’s ongoing and most successful counteroffensive since Russia invaded in late February.Ukrainian officials did not provide many details about the drone, and Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder could not confirm the use of the Iranian drone during Tuesday's briefing.
"We assess that Russia intends to use these Iranian UAVs, which can conduct air-to-surface attacks, electronic warfare, and targeting, on the battlefield in Ukraine," they said."The Russian military is suffering from major supply shortages in Ukraine, in part because of sanctions and export controls, forcing Russia to rely on unreliable countries like Iran for supplies and equipment.
Administration officials have also warned that Russia has sought to purchase millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, another United States adversary, while defense officials have said that they have not seen intelligence to show Russia reaching out to any additional countries.