The Caspian Sea is likely one of the primary routes for Iranian-made attack drones and other military support that Tehran provides to Russia for its war against Ukraine, CNN reported on May 26, 2023, citing experts and ship-tracking data.
Ships going dark
According to the report, as summarised by European Pravda, vessels most often switch off their transponders near Iran’s Amirabad and Anzali ports, on the Volga River and near the Russian port of Astrakhan. Data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence showed a significant increase since September in ships hiding their movements, mainly Russian- and Iranian-flagged vessels, many with features suited to carrying military cargo.
Using MarineTraffic data, CNN tracked six Russian-flagged and two Iranian-flagged ships, some of which sailed between Iranian ports and Astrakhan without officially entering port, while others stayed dark for long periods.
Beyond Western reach
Experts believe a significant share of Shahed drones, mortar rounds and other weapons travels by this route. The Caspian Sea is enclosed and bordered only by Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, putting it out of reach of Western navies.
Iranian cargo aircraft made at least 85 flights to Russia between May 2022 and March 2023, according to Flightradar24 data, but analysts say the sea route can carry far more cargo at once.
Drone attacks
The White House said in mid-May that Iran was still supplying Russia with attack drones. Tehran has acknowledged sending only a small batch of drones before the February 2022 invasion. Ukrainian estimates put the number of Shahed-136 drones used by Russia at more than 400, out of about 2,400 ordered.
Sources
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