In recent months, russia has highly likely worked to ensure its long-term, high-volume supply of one-way-attack unmanned aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs). By supplying these weapons, Iran continues to breach UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Read more: Iran is Helping Russia Build a Drone Factory for the War in Ukraine - White House
Russia has likely moved from receiving small deliveries of Iranian OWA-UAVs by air transport, to larger consignments by ship from Iran via the Caspian Sea.
The International North-South Transport Corridor has assumed much more importance since the full-scale invasion. It allows russia to access Asian markets, including arms transfers, in ways it hopes are less vulnerable to international sanctions.
According to the UK Defense Intelligence, russia is also working to start domestic production of OWA-UAVs, almost certainly with Iranian assistance.
Russia is highly likely investing in OWA-UAVs because it provides russia with a relatively cheap long-range strike capability at a time when it has expended a large proportion of its cruise missile stocks in Ukraine.
Read more: Transfer of Su-35 Aircraft from russia to Iran: Unveiling the Intriguing Puzzle
