Ukraine Diplomat Urges Strikes on Russian Drone Production Over Iran Shipments

Ukraine Calls for Strikes on Russian Drone Production over Iran Deliveries

By Andrea Shalal

Ukraine Urges Western Support Amid Escalating Russia-Iran Drone Cooperation

March 23 (Reuters) - Moscow's shipment of modernized drones to Iran made Russian drone production sites legitimate military targets, a top Ukrainian diplomat said on Monday, urging Western powers to equip Ukraine with weapons capable of hitting those sites.

Russia's Role in Drone Transfers and Military Support

Ukraine's permanent representative to the United Nations, Andriy Melnyk, said Russia's support of Tehran with modernized versions of its Iranian-designed Shahed drones and other military support, meant it was now Tehran's main accomplice in the war. Moscow had used the Shahed drones against Ukraine since early in its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Security Council Session Highlights

"The recent conflict in Iran has revealed how intertwined this crisis is with Russia's military invasion and the Kremlin's malign, imperialistic goals," he told a special Security Council session on the Ukraine war.

Escalation and Regional Threats

Russia's shipments of modernized versions of Iran's Shahed drones, using licenses provided by Tehran, marked an unprecedented escalation that would allow Iran to attack Gulf countries and U.S. forces in the region for a long period, destabilizing the region and threatening the global economy, Melnyk said.

Calls for Military Action Against Drone Sites

As a result, Russian drone production sites should be considered "legitimate targets for military strikes in the campaign against the mullah regime," he said.

Current and Potential Ukrainian Actions

Ukraine was already hitting Russian drone production facilities given the threats the weapons posed to its people and infrastructure, but could be more effective with new weapons and resources, he said.

International Support and Regional Security Efforts

"Providing Ukraine with the means for deep strikes and helping ramp up our domestic production of long-range missiles would support collective efforts to bring peace to the Middle East," Melnyk said. Ukraine had also sent hundreds of experts to the Gulf region to help countries there defend against the drones.

Additional Russian Military Transfers

Russia had also transferred attack helicopters to Iran in an apparent violation of U.N. arms restrictions, he said.

Economic and Strategic Implications

He told the council that the Iran war offered a "new lifeline for the Russian war machine," citing sharp increases in the price of oil that were aiding Moscow's struggling economy.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Stephen Coates)