Ukraine posts photos of Iranian drones used by Russian military PHOTO

Ukrainian officials posted a photo of an Iranian-made drone that was allegedly used by the Russian military just days after the Iranian ambassador to Ukraine denied supplying them to Russia.

In a Tweet on October 3, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry shared an image of an Iranian-made Qods Mohajer-6, one of a series of 210 such drones that had been produced in Iran since 2018, Newsweek reports.

Recently, in response to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the ambassador of Iran stated that his country has not supplied drones to russia.
Here is the Iranian drone Qods Mohajer-6, which was launched to coordinate an attack on Odesa a few days ago. pic.twitter.com/C5Ep0kj7GZ

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 3, 2022

If legitimate, the image would appear to contradict longstanding claims from the Iranian government that it has not been supplying Russian invading forces with unmanned aircraft for use in Ukraine, an alleged transgression that had already prompted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to all but sever diplomatic relations with the country late last month.

In a nightly address on September 23, Zelensky said his country's anti-aircraft forces had shot down more than a dozen drones in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and Odesa, all of which appeared to be of Iranian manufacture.

Despite its regular denials, Iran has already long been suspected of supplying arms to the Russian military as it faces significant munitions and personnel challenges approaching the eight-month anniversary on October 24 of its incursion into Ukraine.

Last week, the US Department of Defense published a report on Russia's use of Iranian-made drones in the country, though those weapons have suffered "numerous failures" on the battlefield, per the Pentagon.

"Russia is making increasingly desperate choices to continue its unprovoked war against Ukraine, particularly in the face of our unprecedented sanctions and export controls," US Treasury official Brian E. Nelson said in a statement announcing the sanctions on September 8. "The United States is committed to strictly enforcing our sanctions against both Russia and Iran and holding accountable Iran and those supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."