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LONDON:Iran has covertly supplied Russia with millions of bullets and hundreds of thousands of shells to fuel its war in Ukraine, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
A security source told the channel that two Russian-flagged vessels in January traveled across the Caspian Sea from Iran to Russia carrying about 100 million bullets and 300,000 artillery shells, as well as rockets, mortar ammunition, kevlar vests and helmets.
The Russian side paid for the ammunition with cash, the source said, adding: “Russia continues to use Iran as a ‘rear base’.”
It follows news that last year, Tehran supplied Moscow with thousands of armed drones, which have been used in Ukraine.
The owner of the two vessels — named the Musa Jalil and Begey, according to the Sky News source — was contacted for comment by the channel but did not respond.
The two ships are believed to have carried about 200 containers of ammunition, the source said, adding that they were “confident” in their estimation of the quantity of arms.
“Iran sent two cargo ships to the combat zone in Ukraine, carrying approximately 200 new shipping containers that contained ammunition for the Russian fighting in Ukraine,” the source said.
“Russia pays for the ammunition in cash and by doing so, bypasses the Western sanctions on it, ignoring the sanctions on Iran.”
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko told Sky News that Iran is “on the wrong side of history” for supplying Russia with the weaponry.
He accused Moscow of turning to a “coalition of weak nations,” including Iran and North Korea, to overcome the difficulties it is facing in its conflict with Kyiv, including major shortages of ammunition.
“We still have to actively pursue the Iranians and the rest of these regimes to stop the supply to Russians to fuel this war in Ukraine,” Prystaiko said.
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