The RF Armed Forces will probably use Iranian UAVs not to strike at strategic targets, but at tactical ones.

Russia is experiencing a shortage of weapons, so it is increasingly buying them from countries that are subject to severe international sanctions.

This is stated in the summary of British intelligence.

Analysts noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine yesterday for the first time reported on the downing of the Iranian Shahed-136 UAV in the Kupyansky region , which Russia purchased from Tehran. This indicates the use of foreign drones already directly on the battlefield.VIDEO OF THE DAYplay video

However, British intelligence believes that the RF Armed Forces will probably use UAVs not to strike at strategic targets, but at tactical ones. 

The Shahed-136 is a single-acting strike UAV with a claimed range of 2,500 kilometers. Similar Iranian-made systems were likely used in attacks in the Middle East, in particular against the Mercer Street oil tanker in July 2021, the intelligence explained. 

“The loss of Shahed-136 near the front line indicates that there is a real possibility that Russia is trying to use this system for tactical strikes, and not for strategic purposes deep in Ukrainian territory,” the message says. 

It is noted that Russia “almost certainly increasingly buys weapons from other states that are subject to severe sanctions, such as Iran and North Korea, as its own stocks are depleted.

(C)UNIAN 2022