Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, has denied that Iran supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
Ukrainska Prvada reported February 25 that Budanov said in an interview with We Are Ukraine TV channel that none of media reports on ballistic missiles supplied by Iran to Russia is true.
Budanov reportedly stated that several such missiles were supplied to Russia by North Korea. “However, this is also not true when it comes to large-scale applications,” Budanov added.
RBC Ukraine cited him as saying that he had no knowledge of any shipment of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.
“There are no Iranian missiles in Russia's possession. All of these reports are incorrect,” he said, according to RBC Ukraine.
Recall, Reuters news agency had earlier reported, citing informed sources, that Iran had exported 400 ballistic missiles to Russia.
Reuters, citing six sources, reported last week that Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, deepening the military cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.
Iran's provision of around 400 missiles includes many from the Fateh-110 family of short-range ballistic weapons, such as the Zolfaghar, three Iranian sources said, according to Reuters. This road-mobile missile is capable of striking targets at a distance of between 300 and 700 km, experts say.
The shipments reportedly began in early January after a deal was finalized in meetings late last year between Iranian and Russian military and security officials that took place in Tehran and Moscow.
Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reported on February 25 that Iran's Mission to the United Nations said on February 23 that Iran was not legally prohibited from selling ballistic missiles, but the Islamic Republic was “morally obligated” to refrain from arms deals during the Russia-Ukraine conflict to prevent further escalation based on international law and the UN Charter.
