British Ministry of Defense: Russia is running out of Iranian-made drones

The Ministry of Defense of the U.K. says in its latest intelligence update that Russia is nearing the end of its supply of Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones. 

The update notes that there have been no reported Russian attacks on Ukraine with unmanned aircraft since February 15.

The ministry believes that Russia will try to restock its supply of drones, noting that Russia likely uses the aircraft as “useful decoys which can divert Ukrainian air defenses.”

Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack military and energy infrastructure in Ukraine since autumn. Western media have reported more than once that Russia and Iran have joint plans to build a factory in Russia to manufacture Iranian-designed drones.