Russia is planning to supply Iran with “advanced military components” in exchange for kamikaze drones, U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Dec. 20, as cited by Sky News.
According to Wallace, this move would undermine “both the Middle East and international security.”
Sky News reported on Nov. 8 that Russia had previously sent to Iran 140 million euros in cash and Western weapons seized in Ukraine in return for over 160 drones.
Russia has been using Iranian-made kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine since September, launching attacks against civilians and destroying energy facilities across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 19 that Russia had received a new batch of 250 Iranian Shahed-136 drones.
The U.S., U.K., EU, and Canada have imposed sanctions on Iranian individuals and companies involved in supplying Russia with drones.
Wallace also said that the U.K. had delivered to Ukraine 900 generators to help the country go through the winter amid power outages caused by Russian attacks on its energy system.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces will receive from the U.K. about 15,000 sets of extreme cold weather kits, including cold weather clothing, heavy-duty sleeping bags, and insulated tents, Wallace added.