Recovered debris offers ‘undeniable’ proof Russia is using Iran-made one-way drones in Ukraine, U.S. intel analysts say

The drones recovered in Ukraine and Iraq carried serial numbers in the same location with similar sequences, and the fiberglass fuselage contained the same honeycomb material — a distinctive feature of Iranian drones, the analyst said.

The drones found in the Kurdish region of Iraq were used in an operation last year openly acknowledged by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which targeted Kurdish opposition groups, the DIA analyst said. An IRGC commander stated publicly that missiles and drones were used in the assault.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said Iran supplied drones to Russia but claimed that the unmanned aircraft had been delivered months before the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Russia also has denied using Iranian-manufactured drones.

Last year, the U.S., Britain and France demanded that the United Nations investigate Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the war in Ukraine, saying it represented a violation of U.N. sanctions. A 2015 U.N. resolution prohibits all countries from transferring weapons from Iran without advance Security Council approval.

The Shahed drones are relatively simple aircraft without cameras or sophisticated electronics and can be launched anywhere, following a pre-programmed route, the analyst said.

In Ukraine, the Russians rarely use the Iranian drones in combat and instead target buildings in cities to sow terror, deplete Ukraine’s air defenses, and damage electricity or water plants, the analyst said. The drones are launched in batches of more than 20 at a time, and the buzz of the drones’ propeller engine resembles the sound of a moped or a lawn mower, he said.

The striking part is their simplicity,” the analyst said. “It’s simple, it’s cheap and it’s effective.”

The drones have electronic parts that “you can buy off the shelf,” he added.

The Shahed-131 carries a warhead of about 20 kilograms and has a cruising speed of around 125 mph, the DIA said.

In June, the White House released satellite images of what officials said was a drone factory being built east of Moscow with Iran’s assistance.

The plant, located in the Alabuga special economic zone in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, “could dramatically increase the supply of these one-way drones” for Russia, a DIA spokesperson said. DIA believes that the drones currently in use were manufactured in Iran.

Russia already has used at least 400 of the Iranian Shahed drones in air attacks on cities and civilian infrastructure, according to the senior DIA analyst.

“As Tehran expands its capabilities and role as both an unconventional and conventional threat in the Middle East and beyond, it is more important than ever that we understand Iran’s military power and the threat it poses to our interests, our allies, and our own security,” a DIA spokesperson said.

In return for its drone deliveries to Russia, Iran appears to be receiving technical advice from Russian engineers to bolster its ballistic missile program.

Iran’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine coincides with indications that Russian technicians are helping Tehran with its space-launched vehicle (SLV) program, which could aid Iran’s goal of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, a DIA spokesperson told NBC News.

“In the past year, Russia probably has sent technicians to assist Tehran with its SLV efforts and some aspects of its missile programs,” the spokesperson said. “In 2022, Russia built and launched a satellite for Iran.”

Last month, Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum that there were “signs” Russian technicians were working on the space launch vehicle program in Iran “and other aspects of their missile programs.