Russia, powerless in the face of Ukraine's offensive, turns to Iran for support

The intensification of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought third countries into the limelight of the conflict. In recent days Iran has shown itself in the media as an ally of the Kremlin in its crusade against Ukraine and has therefore sent Vladimir Putin's government Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles, with the aim of offering its support in a war which, despite the Russian leader, is revealing Russia's military deficiencies. 

These missiles are capable of striking targets at a distance of 300 km and 700 km respectively. According to the Washington Post, "Tehran sent officials to Moscow on 18 September to finalise the deal, adding the surface-to-air missiles to an agreement that also included the delivery of Iranian combat drones to Russia".

Such combat drones would be the Mohajer-6 and Shahid-136 models, which Ukraine has confirmed. In fact, the Ukrainian government claims that Iranian military instructors affiliated with the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were reportedly present on the ground in Ukraine training Russian troops in the use of the Shahid-136 "kamikaze" drone. Specifically, these trainers are said to have operated in the Kherson and Crimea regions. 

The Ukrainian Centre for National Resistance also claims that the Iranians have taught the Russians to launch Shahid-136 drones against Ukrainian civilian targets, as has occurred in the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions. 

The Ukrainian air force claims to have destroyed up to 223 Iranian drones since mid-September, a claim that Tehran, which continues to supply weapons to Russia, denies. The first drone shot down was, according to Ukrainian sources, in the Ukrainian territory of Kupiansk on 13 September.

Why does Russia need these drones? The Russian air force has not been able, since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, to shoot down Ukrainian air defences, which is why, faced with the impotence of not controlling the airspace, it has resorted to the use of these drones that explode their payload on impact with the target. 

However, the Ukrainian counteroffensive continues to push the Russian armed forces back from parts of the territory they had already managed to capture. The Ukrainian superiority in this regard, both on the ground and in the air, leaves the Russian military utterly embarrassed in the eyes of the international community.  

For decades, Iran and Russia have enjoyed good relations as allies, for example in the Syrian war. Although Ukraine has also maintained good relations with Tehran until now, information about Iran's arms aid to Russia has prompted Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky to downgrade diplomatic relations with Iran, for example by withdrawing the accreditation of its ambassador to Kiev. In addition, the Ukrainian government has begun expelling Iranian students residing in the country.

Russia and Iran, antagonists in many other areas, nevertheless remain on a common front: destabilising the West. Since the offensive against Ukraine began, Vladimir Putin has made as many as five trips abroad, all of them to areas bordering former Soviet countries and to Tehran last July.  

On the other hand, both Putin and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi lead the list of the most sanctioned nations in the world, followed by Syria, Belarus and Venezuela. However, according to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, 'Moscow and Tehran have a relationship that can be defined as a fluctuating combination of friendship and rivalry'.

Indeed, Russia and Iran have not always had such a 'smooth' relationship. Iran's mistrust of Russia dates back to the 19th and 20th centuries, during which the Russians tried on numerous occasions to control Iranian territories and influence Iranian politics. 

An example of this is that the 1979 Islamic Revolution was aimed, among other things, at confronting the Soviet Union. However, over time both countries have found common interests in which they can strategically support each other. As we have mentioned, a clear example of this is their actions in the Syrian war, in which both actors have acted on the ground providing joint cooperation to the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.