Iran denies claims of IRGC training Russian troops on drones

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani has dismissed as baseless and politically motivated the indictment by Ukraine’s Security Service and Prosecutor General's Office against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general.

The indictment accuses the general of training Russian soldiers in drone usage during the "special military operation", Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

Ministry stated, “Our Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani rejected the allegations about Iranian military personnel in Ukraine training Russian forces as unfounded.”

He argued that such accusations serve specific political agendas and are inconsistent with Iran's principled stance on the Ukraine conflict. Kanaani reiterated Iran's position, which advocates for peace and a resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

On August 24, Ukraine’s authorities made their first charges against a foreign individual in connection with the Russian "special military operation". The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office charged IRGC Major General Abbas Moussa Sharifi Molasarey in absentia, accusing him of training Russian troops in the use of UAVs. This indictment also referenced Iran’s alleged drone transfers to Russia, which both countries have previously denied.

Both Moscow and Tehran have consistently rejected claims of Iranian drone deliveries to Russia for use in Ukraine. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labelled these reports as fabrications and stressed that Russia's military employs only domestically produced drones. In November 2022, Iran's Foreign Minister acknowledged limited drone supplies to Russia prior to the onset of the Ukrainian conflict.