"Our understanding is that they [Iranian forces] are on the ground in Crimea, assisting Russian military personnel as they conduct these drone operations in Ukraine," Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.
Iranian military personnel are on the ground in Ukraine, assisting the Russian military with drone operations that have been terrorising the country and targeting power facilities, the Pentagon said Thursday.
"Our understanding is that they [Iranian forces] are on the ground in Crimea, assisting Russian military personnel as they conduct these drone operations in Ukraine," Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.
National Security spokesperson John Kirby further raised concern that Russia will seek to acquire advanced conventional weapons from Tehran as it faces military supply shortages under pressure from Western sanctions, VOA reports.
“We can confirm that Russia’s military personnel that are based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], using them to conduct strikes across Ukraine, including strikes against Kyiv in just recent days. We assess that Iranian military personnel on the ground in Crimea assisted Russia in these operations,” Kirby said.
“There’s extensive proof of their use by Russia against both military and civilian targets [in Ukraine], yet both Iran and Russia continue to lie about it.”
Kirby said that the U.S. cannot offer exact numbers on how many Iranians are in Crimea, adding that it’s a “relatively small number” but that they are providing tech support while the Russians pilot the UAVs for attacks.
“Russia has received dozens of UAVs so far, and will likely continue to receive additional shipments in the future,” he said.
When asked about Russia's denial that it uses Iran-made drones, Ryder responded, "It's obvious that they're lying." Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Since then, it has reopened old Soviet bases and trained troops there.
He added that Russia has turned to countries such as Iran and North Korea for additional ammunition and weapons because its weapons stockpiles, including precision-guided munitions, "are depleting."
He called out Iran for "exporting terror, not only in the Middle East region but now also to Ukraine."
NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana condemned Iran's behaviour and called on Tehran to cease its involvement in Russia's invasion.
"No country should support in any way this kind of barbaric war," Geoana said during a virtual event held by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Russian attacks with Iranian so-called kamikaze drones have terrorised Ukraine over the past two weeks, with civilian casualties and civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, energy and water supplies, destroyed by the explosive-laden drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded for supporting countries to send more air defence systems immediately.
The U.S. and NATO said they are working to quickly send more air defences and anti-drone technology to Ukraine, while other air defence systems from Spain and Germany are said to have recently arrived.
But the Ukrainians have pleaded for more, in particular to Israel for its Iron Dome missile defence system, which is considered one of the most successful air defence systems at targeting indiscriminate fire.