Russian operators of Iran-produced drones train in Syria, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) said on Monday.
According to the statement, the training is conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah Police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the territory Syrian Shayrat airbase.
GUR stated that Russian troops practise operating HESA Shahed-136 and Ababil-3 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as Raad remotely controlled air defense system.
The training is said to be led by a Hezbollah commander Kamal Abu Sadiq, who specializes in drones manufacturing and maintenance.
The Intelligence office also claimed that Russia intends to send Syrian mercenaries, receiving training at the Shayrat base, to fight in Ukraine.
I am grateful to each mobile air defense group warrior who protects our infrastructure and people on a daily basis. Only this night did they shoot down 40 "Shahed" drones, which account for the majority of what Russia has fired.
We have already shot down 359 such drones since… pic.twitter.com/l7Vx0Bg1UK
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 11, 2024
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday stated that Ukrainian troops “shot down 40 Shahed drones,” indicating Russia’s wide use of the Iran-produced UAVs.
In its previous statement made, GUR said that Russian military is using tarlink terminals produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX for satellite internet in the occupied territories in Ukraine.
The reports come as the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its two-year mark and Kyiv fears air defense missile shortages amid delays in Western security assistance. Earlier on Friday, Russian ambassador to Israel said that the Kremlin hopes Israel would not change its stance on refusing to supply arms to Ukraine.
The U.S. Institute for the Study of War predicts Russian troops’ “consistent large-scale aviation operations supporting Russian ground offensives in Ukraine.”
NEW: Delays in Western security assistance may lead to significant Ukrainian air defense missile shortages that could allow Russian forces to bomb Ukrainian forces or even front-line cities more aggressively. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0J6aUY3UMc
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) February 11, 2024
Source » i24news