Iran has secretly supplied Russia with large quantities of ammunition for its war in Ukraine, Sky News reported on March 8, 2023, citing a source.
Two ships
According to the report, as summarised by European Pravda, two Russian-flagged cargo ships, the Musa Jalil and the Begey, left an Iranian port around January 10 and January 12 and sailed to Russia across the Caspian Sea.
The ships carried about 200 containers in total. The source claimed this could hold roughly 100 million rounds of small-arms ammunition in calibres from 5.56mm to 14.5mm.
Shells, rockets and body armour
The cargo also reportedly included about 300,000 shells, among them 40mm grenades, 107mm anti-tank rockets, 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortar bombs, multiple-launch rocket system rockets and armour-piercing shells, as well as about 10,000 flak jackets and helmets.
Moscow allegedly paid in cash, which the source said helped avoid Western sanctions.
Unverified
The claims could not be independently verified. Iran has acknowledged supplying Russia with a small number of drones before the full-scale invasion, but denies providing weapons for use in Ukraine. Western governments say Iran has supplied Russia with hundreds of Shahed attack drones used to strike Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
Sources
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