Russia's Iran-Made Drones 'Failing' and Not Meeting Expectations: Pentagon

Iranian-made drones being used by Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered from "numerous failures on the battleground," according to one top U.S. official.

The claim was made by Sasha Baker, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Department of Defense.

On Wednesday, Baker attended a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, which was chaired by William A. LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

Baker told the assembled officials that Moscow had sent personnel to Iran so they could learn to use Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, according to a Department of Defense report that was published Friday.

Baker said that seeking Iranian help is a sign of "desperation" from the Russians, adding sanctions and export controls had caused major supply problems for Putin's forces.

Baker added that the Russians had already had problems with their Iranian-made drones, saying: "We have seen some evidence already that the UAVs associated with the transfer from Iran have already experienced numerous failures on the battleground."

In July, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Russian defense officials had visited Iran looking to buy drones.

Ukraine said it shot down an Iranian-made drone for the first time on September 13, with the UAVs being blamed for a string of attacks on Ukrainian targets throughout the month.

The Eastern European country also said at the time that a Russian reconnaissance drone was destroyed in Mykolaiv. Multiple howitzers, tanks and armored vehicles were also reportedly destroyed, while Ukraine said it killed at least 27 Russian troops. Newsweek has not independently verified any of Ukraine's claims.

According to the Ukrainian military, the Russians are using Iranian Shahed-136 loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, along with Mohajer-6 drones, which can carry out airstrikes or reconnaissance.

Late last month, the Air Force Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Facebook that it had shot down four Shahed-136 drones over the southern Mykolaiv region, though admitted other drones made it through to hit Kryvyi Rih and Ochakov, without causing casualties.

"The enemy continues aerial reconnaissance using UAVs and also activates air attacks using Iranian kamikaze drones of the Shahed-136 type. It was in this way that the port infrastructure of Ochakov was once again struck. One of the two attacking drones was shot down by our units, the other hit a port tug. Firefighters promptly extinguished the fire. There are no casualties," the Facebook post read.

It continued: "Another kamikaze drone Shahed-136 attacked Kryvyi Rih. As a result of hitting a two-story non-residential building, a fire broke out, which was promptly extinguished. There are no casualties."

In response to the provision of drones, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on three Iranian drone companies early last month.

Brian E. Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a press release that the U.S. "will not hesitate" to target UAV producers that contribute to Middle Eastern terrorist proxies and regional destabilization.

However, speaking to Newsweek last month, Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, said he "very much" doubts the sanctions will be effective.

"This is the basic reality: The U.S. has put over a thousand sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities," he said. "There isn't much the U.S. can sanction to make a difference to the overall approach of Iran. Drones are classified as Iran misbehaving or not respecting U.S. sanctions on Russia."

Newsweek contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.