Ukraine war: Zelensky accuses Iran of lying over Russia supporton November 5, 2022 at 6:37 pm

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Western officials believe Russia is using Iranian drones to target Ukrainian infrastructure.

A drone, believed to be Iranian, flies above KyivImage source, Reuters

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Iran of “lying” and “terrorist cooperation” by supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

It comes after Iran admitted for the first time it had supplied drones to Moscow, but only before the invasion.

The West believes Russia has used Iranian “kamikaze” drones to hit key infrastructure sites in Ukraine, but Iran and Moscow previously denied it.

Blackouts have hit much of Ukraine after the attacks on power stations.

Western officials have accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia and of providing personnel on the ground to train Russian drone pilots.

Previously, Tehran denied the accusations, but on Saturday Iran’s foreign minister said a small number of the vehicles had been sent to Moscow.

“We provided a limited number of drones to Russia many months prior to the Ukraine war,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters in Tehran.

However, in an address on his Telegram channel, President Zelensky accused Iran of lying “even in this confession”.

The 44-year-old claimed that Ukraine was shooting down about 10 Iranian drones every day, despite Iran saying it had only supplied Russia with a small number.

Mr Zelensky warned Iran about its support for Russia, saying this would backfire.

“We know for sure that Iranian instructors taught Russian terrorists how to use drones, and Tehran is generally silent about it.

“And if Iran continues lying about the obvious, it means that the world will make even more efforts to investigate the terrorist cooperation between the Russian and Iranian regimes and what Russia is paying Iran for such cooperation.

“There will be no such thing in the modern world that any of the terrorists or their accomplices will remain unpunished.”

The US, EU and UK have all imposed sanctions on Iran for supplying drones to Russia for use in the conflict.

Russia has used the “kamikaze” drones – named after the Japanese suicide pilots in World War Two because they get destroyed on impact – to hit critical infrastructure sites across Ukraine.

As a consequence, rolling blackouts and restrictions on electricity use have been imposed just as the weather turns cold for winter.

Some Western leaders have called the attacks “war crimes”, because under the Geneva Conventions – which define the rules of war – civilian infrastructure cannot be deliberately targeted.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s national grid operator imposed further restrictions in some regions because electricity usage had grown compared to the same time last week.

Graphic of Shahed 136 drone

In other news:

Nato expansion

Sweden’s new government will distance itself from the Kurdish YPG militia as it tries to win Turkey’s approval to join Nato, Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom, told Swedish Radio on Saturday.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and its political branch PYD to be extensions of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which launched an insurgency against Turkey in 1980 and is regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Sweden, the US and other Nato countries have supported the YPG in the fight against the Islamic State group.

However, Turkey has vowed to block Sweden’s application to join Nato if it does not stop supporting the militia group.

Ukraine judge shot

A judge in occupied Ukraine has been shot and badly injured, in what appears to be an assassination attempt.

He has been named as Alexander Nikulin – who worked at the Russian-backed supreme court in the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk.

In June, he sentenced to death two Britons and a Moroccan, who had been captured while fighting in the Ukrainian army.

Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saadoun were later released in a prisoner swap.

There have been a number of attacks on people working with the pro-Moscow authorities, with several of them killed.

Russia struggles to train conscripts

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said that more than 300,000 Russian conscripts in Ukraine will have little impact on the war because Moscow is struggling to train them.

UK intelligence points out that many experienced Russian officers are either fighting, or dead, and there’s a shortage of munition and facilities.

It says the conscripts will not offer Russia much help in its “offensive combat capability”.

During a speech on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said nearly 50,000 new recruits were already fighting in Ukraine.

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

Tokyo Olympics: Dina Asher-Smith pulls out of 200m after hamstring tearon July 31, 2021 at 12:09 pm

Great Britain's world champion Dina Asher-Smith pulls out of the Olympic 200m after revealing she tore her hamstring earlier this month.Dates: 23 July-8 August...

Stormont election deadline delayed by a yearon February 9, 2023 at 11:37 am

Chris Heaton-Harris is introducing legislation that will push the timetable back to 18 January 2024.Image source, Brian Lawless/PA MediaBy Jayne McCormackBBC News NI political...

Why are Sri Lankans protesting in the streets?on April 11, 2022 at 12:20 am

Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in 70 years has prompted mass protests against the government.

A guide to the ceremony announcing Charles as kingon September 10, 2022 at 9:39 am

The new king is being proclaimed by an Accession Council. What exactly is this?The new king is being proclaimed by an Accession Council. What...

Cholera in Mariupol: Ruined city at risk of major cholera outbreak – UKon June 10, 2022 at 5:56 pm

Conditions in the city, now in Russian hands, could lead to a resurgence of the disease, authorities fear.Image source, Getty ImagesThe Ukrainian port city...