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Intelligence: Iran resupplies Russia with new batch of kamikaze drones

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Russian forces resumed attacks against Ukraine using Iranian kamikaze drones, said Andrii Yusov, the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate spokesman.

He added that Iran shipped a new batch of Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones. The new batch is relatively small, Yusov said, without providing details on the shipped drones’ quantity.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in October that Russia had ordered over 2,400 Iranian-made attack drones.

Meanwhile, Iran hasn’t supplied Russian with ballistic missiles, according to military intelligence.

According to Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson, Russia is also preparing to manufacture Iranian loitering munition domestically.

Since September, Russia has started using Iranian-made drones against Ukraine, unleashing assaults on civilian energy sites around the country. In December, the EU and Canada sanctioned Iran for supplying Russia with drones.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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At NATO's Aurora 2026 military exercises in Sweden, a group of Ukrainian drone pilots was tasked with playing the role of attackers. The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell spoke with drone pilots from Ukraine's 20th National Guard "Lubart" Brigade, part of the 1st Azov Corps, shortly after they returned from Sweden.

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