Russia sent captured Western weapons & €140m cash to Iran in exchange of drones: Report

Russia has reportedly flown €140 million in cash and a selection of UK and US weapons captured by Moscow to Iran. According to a security source, the task was undertaken by Russia to get dozens of deadly drones in return from Iran, reported Sky News.  

As per the source, a Russian military aircraft covertly transported the sum of money and three models of munition to an airport in Tehran on 20 August, in the early hours. The consignment included a British NLAW anti-tank missile, a US Javelin anti-tank missile and a Stinger anti-aircraft missile.  

The weapons were originally part of a shipment of the US and the UK military intended for use by Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia. In a stark revelation, the source claimed to Sky News that the consignment of weapons could give Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) the ability to study and potentially copy Western technology.  

Fears of reverse-engineering rise  

According to the source, the weapons may get “reverse-engineered and used in future wars.”  

Meanwhile, Iran has supplied more than 160 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia. This included 100 Shahed-136 drones, reported Sky News citing the source. Moreover, drones have been nicknamed "suicide drones" because they explode on impact.  

Additionally, the source told Sky News that another drone deal worth €200m had been agreed upon between Iran and Russia in the past few days. "That means there will be another big supply of UAVs from Iran soon," the source claimed.  

According to the reports, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has recently ramped up drone attacks against Ukraine. This comes coupled with an increase in conventional missile strikes, which have targeted critical power and water supplies across the country, including in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.  

Significance of Iranian drones for Russia’s war effort  

A senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Justin Bronk said the Iranian drones had become a crucial part of Russia's war effort against Ukraine.  

"If Iran hadn't supplied the Shaheds, it would be significantly less effective in terms of the Russian strike campaign against Ukrainian electrical infrastructure and water," Sky News quoted him saying.  

The Iranian government has also reportedly agreed to transfer bigger and more sophisticated ballistic missiles to Russia. Moreover, Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK said if the reports were confirmed "this will pose a real, real threat".  

Meanwhile, Iran has dismissed the allegations regarding the missiles transfer as "completely false", though it did finally admit to supplying "a limited number of drones" to Russia.