Russia warns UN against probing Iranian drones in Ukraine

Russia on Wednesday warned theUnited Nationsagainst investigating the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukrainesaid Iran broke a UN Security Council embargo on the transfer of drones with a 300-kilometer range. Kyiv invited UN specialists to examine the debris from Shahed-136 drones that were being deployed by Russia to attack civilian targets.

The discussions occurred during the closed-door Security Council meeting called by the US, France, and the UK in response to the deployment of Iranian-made drones to Russia. The trio of permanent members of the UN Security Council said Russia had breached the UN arms embargo on Iran.

How has Russia used the Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine?

On Monday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the city was struck by"kamikaze drones" that killed people and damaged several residential buildings.

Both the European Union and United States said they have proofthat Iranian Shahed-136s low-cost drones, that explode on landing, are behind at least five deaths in Kyiv on Monday.

In a little more than a month, Ukraine claims to have shot down more than 220 Iranian drones, and images have surfaced that appear to establish an Iranian connection.

Ukraine has already moved to sever diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic.

What did the US and UK say?

The US expressed its concerns regarding Russia's acquisition of the drones from Iran.

According to the US, the drones violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It contends that Resolution 2231 bars any transfers that could benefit nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "We now have abundant evidence that these UAVs are being used to strike Ukrainian civilians and critical civilian infrastructure." He added, "We will not hesitate to use our sanctions and other appropriate tools on all involved in these transfers,"

James Kariuki, Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador, tweeted Tehran's denial that Russia is using Iranian drones to target civilians in Ukraine "doesn't stand up to scrutiny."

How has Russia reacted?

Russia said that the UN does not have the mandate to investigate its use of drones in Ukraine calling it "absolutely unprofessional and political."

"The UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) used by the Russian army in Ukraine are manufactured in Russia," Russian diplomat Dmitry Polyanskiy said, criticizing the "baseless accusations and conspiracy theories."

"I would recommend that you do not underestimate the technological capabilities of the Russian drone industry."

Polyanskiy said the UN probe would force Russia to reassess their collaboration with the international organization, where it has a permanent seat on the Security Council.

Iran has already denied any drone transfers to Russia calling the claims "unfounded and unsubstantiated"

Iran's UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, said that Tehran wanted a "peaceful resolution" of the war.

ss/ar (AP, AFP, Reuters)