Iran is lying when it denies supplying Russia with drones that are used to kill Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Canadian broadcasters CTV and CBC, Ukrainska Pravda reported on October 22, 2022.
“A pure lie”
“Iran is supplying them drones, supplying them the killing of Ukrainians. It’s their deal for money,” Zelenskyy said. “They can tell their society they sold nothing, but it’s a lie, pure lie.”
He said Ukraine had specific information that hundreds of drones had already been delivered, while orders and agreements involved thousands. Ukrainian and partner intelligence showed Iran trading Shahed drones and missiles with Russia, he said.
No trust
Zelenskyy said he did not trust Iran’s leadership, recalling the January 2020 downing of a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet by an Iranian missile near Tehran, which killed 176 people. Iran first denied responsibility before admitting it, and apart from apologies “they did nothing,” he said.
Strikes on cities
Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in waves of attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure in October, including in Kyiv. Tehran has denied supplying drones for use in the war. In September, Ukraine stripped Iran’s ambassador of his accreditation, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has since proposed severing diplomatic relations with Tehran.
Sources
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