According to Western intelligence, Vladimir Putin is plotting to arm his Iranian allies with a shipment of deadly weapons.
Kremlin war supporters reportedly began pursuing a deal with Tehran just days after Donald Trump launched his Operation Fury attack on Iran.
By early March, shipments were already underway, with the entire operation expected to be completed by the end of the month.
Israel reportedly attacked the Caspian Sea last week, a key supply route between Russia and Iran, to disrupt the pipeline.
Behind the scenes, the Kremlin is strengthening its ally by targeting satellite images, data and key intelligence.
Now it has been accused of sending support, such as lethal, sophisticated drones, directly into the conflict.
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Publicly, Russia has stuck to a soft stance, highlighting humanitarian aid shipments.
It claims more than 13 tonnes Medicine One has already been shipped through Azerbaijan, with more on the way.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the claims, saying: “There is a lot of fake stuff going on at the moment.
“One thing is true – we are continuing our dialogue with the Iranian leadership.”
But one Western official fears Moscow is not only trying to boost the firepower of mad mullahs but also help strengthen tyrannical regimes.
“They don’t need more drones. They need better drones. They’re after more advanced capabilities,” said Antonio Giustozzi, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. financial Times.
perfect model Unclear, but Russia is likely to supply Iran with a drone similar to the Geran-2 based on its Shahid-136 design.
Kremlin versions of Iranian-designed drones to be used in Ukraine from 2023 have been heavily modified to evade air defenses and carry larger payloads.
“The Russians dramatically improved the Shahids, including modifications to the engines, navigation and anti-jamming capabilities,” said Nicole Grajewski, a professor at Sciences Po University. paris Told FT.
“So these systems are already more advanced than the systems that Iran was producing domestically.”
Russian military technology was reportedly Found inside Iranian drone that attacked British air base In Cyprus.
investigators believe Kamikaze drone that attacked RAF Akrotiri It included the Russian-made Kometa-B navigation system.
Iran has made cheap, one-off attack drones a core element of its military strategy, firing more than 3,000 across the region since the fighting began.
The rogue state is also emphasizing on strengthening its air defenses.
A deal has already been reached between Moscow and Tehran for hundreds of launch units and thousands of missiles next three years.
But Moscow, mindful of the possibility of direct conflict with America, has set a limit on the handing over of its S-400 system.
Deploying such advanced technology would likely require Russian personnel on the ground, effectively putting them in direct combat with US forces.
Despite their growing alliance, the Russia-Iran agreement last year fell short of a full mutual defense commitment
Meanwhile, Russia’s largest oil port was attacked as Ukraine seeks to derail Putin’s war gains from the Middle Eastern conflict.
Primorsk, located on the Baltic Sea, was bombarded by a deadly fleet of drones on Sunday night.
The export hub houses many shadow ships escaping the Russian dictator’s sanctions.
These ships use deceptive means to avoid Western trade sanctions and travel through the Baltic Sea – keeping Putin’s war economy afloat.
The Russian pariah is believed to export one million barrels of oil per day through Primorsk, which is about 1,000 km from Primorsk. ukraine.
