British intelligence has revealed that Russia has exhausted its stockpiles of Iranian drones

Startling news emerged over the weekend that Russia has depleted its stock of Iranian drones and is urgently seeking replacements, according to a statement released by the bone British secret service on Saturday. The British Ministry of Defense corroborated this by reporting a lack of Iranian suicide drone attacks in Ukraine since February 15, 2023. The report further revealed that Russia lost at least 24 Iranian Shahed-136 drones from the end of January to the beginning of February, which added to the tens of these planes already shot down in the first days of the year.

While these weapons have a low target kill rate, Russia apparently sees them as valuable decoys to divert Ukrainian air defenses from more effective Russian cruise missiles. The Shahed-136, renamed Geran-2 by Russia, is a large, inexpensive suicide drone that can hover over its targets before launching an explosive attack. They can be rapidly launched from platforms and their unique A-shaped design makes them easy to identify.

French researcher Pierre Grasser, associated with the Sirice Center in Paris, explained that the Shahed-136 navigates to its target through pre-programmed GPS coordinates before autonomously advancing towards it flying low and hitting targets set hundreds of kilometers away. Despite the drones being claimed to be kamikaze, the Ukrainian military has shot down hundreds of these Iranian-made drones.

The European Union adopted its tenth round of sanctions against Russia on Saturday, including a ban on exporting technologies for military use and measures against Iranian companies that supply drones to Moscow. The agreement was reached on the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine and took more than 24 hours of negotiations between EU countries to strike a deal.

The package includes stricter restrictions on the export of dual-use technology and goods and selective restricted measures against individuals and entities supporting the war and spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia during the conflict. It also includes 47 electronic components that Russia can use in its weapon systems, such as drones, missiles, and helicopters, ensuring that all technological products found on the battlefield will have been banned.

The tenth package of reprisals against the Kremlin also sanctions seven Iranian companies linked to the Revolutionary Guards, which manufacture the drones that Tehran gives to Moscow to bomb Ukraine. Furthermore, the broadcasting licenses of RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic will be suspended. New measures include 121 Russian individuals and companies, including members of the military “responsible for the forced deportation and adoption of at least 6,000 Ukrainian minors,” Borrell said.

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, thanked the bloc for its support and specifically mentioned Rosatom’s sanction. Although not part of this tenth series of sanctions, the Twenty-Seven are committed to seeking formulas with the G7 to sanction the import of Russian diamonds and have yet to reach an agreement to sanction Rosatom, the Russian public company responsible for developing nuclear energy, as requested by Ukraine.