Iran supplying Moscow with materials to build drone factory inside Russia, White House says

[Philosopher]

A satellite image released by the White House shows the possible planned location of a UAV manufacturing plant in Russia

Iran has been supplying Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant that could be fully operational by early next year, the White House has said.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby added that the White House is releasing satellite imagery of the "planned location" of the manufacturing plant in Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone.


Mr Kirby also said Moscow appears to be deepening its defence cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of one-way attack drones that it is using to strike Ukraine.

The White House cited newly-declassified information as it said the drones, or Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), were built in Iran, shipped across the Caspian Sea and then used by Russian forces against Ukraine.

Mr Kirby said: "Russia has been using Iranian UAVs in recent weeks to strike Kyiv and terrorize the Ukrainian population, and the Russia-Iran military partnership appears to be deepening.

"We are also concerned that Russia is working with Iran to produce Iranian UAVs from inside Russia."

New U.S. intelligence shows Russia's deepening defense ties with Iran

The Biden administration aims to disrupt the “full-scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine.”

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