Iranian soldiers are “on the ground in Crimea” to help Russian forces carry out attacks using Iranian-made drones in Ukraine, the White House said Thursday.
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“Today we can confirm that Russian soldiers based in Crimea have piloted Iranian drones, using them to carry out strikes in Ukraine, including on Kyiv in recent days,” the National Security Council spokesperson said. of the American presidency, John Kirby.
“We believe that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations,” he added. “I don’t have the number of Iranians who are in Crimea,” he said, implying that they are still on the ground alongside Russian forces.
“Russia has received dozens of drones so far and will continue to receive more,” the spokesperson continued, noting that the United States is concerned that Russia is now seeking to acquire Iranian conventional weapons such as surface-to-surface missiles. soil for use in Ukraine.
Mr. Kirby clarified that the Iranians present in Ukraine were trainers and technicians and that the strikes, which seriously damaged Ukrainian infrastructure, had been carried out by Russian soldiers.
“Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground,” he stressed.
“The United States will do everything to uncover, deter and combat these arms shipments,” he added. “We will continue to vigorously enforce sanctions against arms sales from both Russia and Iran.”