Investigation cannot say whether Russia uses Iranian-made drones

The Ukrainian investigation has not yet determined the origin of the combat drones that Russia has been using against Ukraine since September and which are considered Iranian.

Source: Ivan Chyzhevskyi, Prosecutor of the Department of Combating Crimes in the Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office, in a comment for Suspilne

Quote from Chyzhevskyi: "We cannot yet say whether these are Iranian-made drones or not. 

A pre-trial investigation is currently underway. It won't be fast. After all, the necessary examination is not simple, but with the participation of specialists on a large scale, who will be able to find out what these components are, and their origin. The expert examination will determine the origin of these drones and the manufacturer of the components.

We cannot specify how long the examinations will last due to the fact that the Russian Federation is actively shelling Ukraine."

Details: The prosecutor explained that the investigation seeks to establish all components related to drone attacks.

"How did this drone appear in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, why is it called Geranium and Geranium-2, why is it so similar to Shahed-131, Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6? In general, where is the construction of these drones carried out, what are the supply routes, and who supplied them? The date and place of production, what contracts were concluded, who signed them – this is also very important during the pre-trial investigation, during the establishment of all schemes," Chyzhevskyi said.

Using intelligence data and technology, the investigation will try to identify the drone operators, the prosecutor said.

However, the Russians are trying to confuse Ukrainian investigators and experts.

"There are cases when the aggressor country deliberately puts markings of a certain company in order to mislead us. Or vice versa, we recorded traces of the destruction of names, markings or stickers on products," Chyzhevskyi said.

"The investigation will have to establish each component: the country of origin, the date of manufacture and make sure that the abbreviation or name of the company that manufactured it is not a fake," he added.

Ukraine will sue international courts over Russia's use of kamikaze drones.

"Foremost, the pre-trial investigation should be completed by our bodies, in our country, with the participation of specialists. Of course, Ukraine will sue international courts for using the drones. But at the moment, I think it would be rather wrong to say in which instance, the time frame," Chyzhevskyi said. 

The prosecutor added that Ukrainian experts and law enforcement officers are assisted by international partners. The Ukrainian investigation has not yet approached Iran.

According to Chyzhevskyi, more than 50 criminal proceedings have now been opened over the use of kamikaze drones. If necessary, the cases can be combined.

Background:

• In September 2022, Russia began using combat drones to strike Ukraine. Two months earlier, the United States announced that Russia would receive kamikaze drones from Iran.
• The Ukrainian authorities and military personnel have repeatedly reported the downing of Iranian drones Shahed-131, Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6, and in November, the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine showed components of kamikaze drones, which included components from Europe, the United States and inscriptions in Farsi, the language of Iran, were found. 
• According to Ukrainian Intelligence, Russia has ordered more than 2,400 kamikaze drones from Iran. Iran denies providing Russia with weapons for the war in Ukraine.
• The US, EU, Canada and Great Britain announced sanctions against Iran for providing Russia with drones.
• Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, has stated that Iran does not recognise Russia's annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories.

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