Is Russia Secretly Helping Iran With Drones, Food, Data? Kremlin Denies

Russia is sending shipments of drones to Iran amid its escalating war with the United States and Israeli forces, according to a Financial Times report. Moscow, which has close ties with Tehran, is also reportedly sending food and medicine to Iran. This adds to the Kremlin's intelligence support, targeting data and satellite imagery for Iran.

However, drones are the first lethal support that Moscow has sent to Tehran since the start of the war, which began on February 28. Iran and Russia began discussing drone deliveries days after Israel and the US attacked Tehran, two officials briefed on the intelligence told Financial Times.

Citing Western intelligence assessments, the report said that Moscow began sending the drones to Tehran this month and is set to complete the phased shipment of the equipment by the end of the month.

Moscow has denied the report about the shipment. Asked about it, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "There are a lot of fakes going around right now. One thing is true - we are continuing our dialogue with the Iranian leadership."

Drones have been at the heart of Iran's wargame. It has produced and fired more than 3,000 cheap drones since the start of the war. Similarly, Russia has been producing drones based on Iranian designs for use in its war against Ukraine since 2023. The drones are modified enough to evade air defences and carry heavier payloads.

Moreover, it is not yet clear what drones Russia agreed to send to Iran. According to the Financial Times report, one Western security official said that Moscow would only send models such as the Geran-2, which is based on the Iranian Shahed-136 itself.

However, a senior Western official told the publication that Moscow was stepping in to boost not only the Iranians' fighting capabilities but also to underwrite the broader political stability of Tehran's regime.

Israel struck a military transfer route between Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea last week, the report stated.

Tehran has also sought more sophisticated air defence systems from Moscow, securing a deal last December for the delivery of 500 man-portable Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over a three-year period. 

However, Russia has turned down Iranian requests for the S-400, which is one of its most capable air defence platforms, according to current and former Western officials.

The Kremlin appears reluctant to take such a step, fearing it could heighten tensions with Washington. Operating the sophisticated S-400 would demand extensive training and hands-on instruction for Iranian forces, effectively placing Russian crews in a position where they could be directing fire against US aircraft in a combat scenario, officials noted. 

While Russia and Iran formalised a strategic partnership agreement last year, the deal stopped well short of a mutual defence commitment between the two nations.