The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that on August 14, 2025, Ukrainian forces conducted an unmanned aerial system strike against Port Olya-4, russian-flagged cargo vessel carrying UAS-related equipment and ammunition from Iran, in the southern russian port of Olya, leaving it partially submerged, according to the UK Defense Intelligence.
The Port Olya-4 vessel is reported to have regularly transited the Caspian Sea transferring materiel between Iran and russia. Satellite imagery from August 19, 2025, shows russian efforts to salvage the remaining cargo. Ukraine's General Staff stated the Caspian Sea port of Olya to be a key logistics hub for Iranian military supplies to russia.
Read more: UK Defense Intelligence: at Current Pace, russia Needs Four More Years to Capture Temporarily Occupied Regions
The strike on the vessel, approximately 640 km from Ukraine's borders, highlights the continuation of Ukraine's regular UAS strikes deep into russian territory and emphasises the difficulties for russian air defense in protecting both military and industry locations within range of Ukraine's ever improving UAS capabilities.
Iran has supplied artillery munitions, ballistic missiles, significant quantities of one-way attack UAS and provided extensive support to russian OWA UAS domestic production in support of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia's reliance on Iranian UAS-related support for russia's war against Ukraine has likely decreased in 2025 as russian proficiency in domestic UAS development and production has increased.
As Defense Express previously reported, open source reporting indicates russian children and young people are being taught and trained in the operation and technical underpinnings of unmanned aerial systems at more than 500 schools in russia, as well as 30 colleges with practical training centres. More than 2,500 teachers are reported to have been trained to teach in this field.
Read more: UK Defense Intelligence: Moscow Is Systematically Training Schoolchildren in Drone Operations
