US Warns of Russian-Modified Drones Aiding Iran

Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US Air Force Central, holds a press briefing at the US embassy in Abu Dhabi (AP)
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US Air Force Central, holds a press briefing at the US embassy in Abu Dhabi (AP)
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US Warns of Russian-Modified Drones Aiding Iran

Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US Air Force Central, holds a press briefing at the US embassy in Abu Dhabi (AP)
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US Air Force Central, holds a press briefing at the US embassy in Abu Dhabi (AP)

A top Air Force commander in the Middle East has warned that Russia’s modification of Iranian drones could boost Tehran’s military capabilities and raise risks across the Middle East.

Washington accuses Tehran of supplying Moscow with drones, which have become a major feature of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and are in regular use in Syria. Iran denies sending drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

“I think there's a risk that... as Russia accepts the drones from Iran, as it modifies those weapons, that some of that technology gets shared back with Iran (and) gives them additional capabilities,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US Air Force Central, told a press briefing, according to AFP on Wednesday.

“I see the implications of that relationship playing out a little bit in Syria. Who would have ever thought that the Russian Federation would need to go to Iran for military capability? And yet we're there,” he added.

Drones have become a focal point of military strategy for both Russia and Iran, which are under heavy Western sanctions.

Tehran last month unveiled its “Mohajer-10” attack drone, and Russian President Vladimir Putin gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a gift of drones when he visited Moscow last week.

“I'm concerned about the level of collaboration that might happen between Russian forces and the amount of cooperation and collusion between Russia and Iran that's playing out in Syria,” Grynkewich told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

“That is something that we watch very closely,” he continued. “That burgeoning relationship is of a military concern to me.”

Tehran has been a primary supporter of Damascus. It has helped push groups loyal to it, most notably the Lebanese Hezbollah, to fight in Syria alongside government forces.

The conflict in Syria, which started 12 years ago, has killed at least half-a-million people, displaced millions more and destroyed the country’s infrastructure.



Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use

The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use

The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Ukraine asked the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague on Tuesday to investigate the alleged use of banned toxic munitions by Russia against its forces.

A request to establish an investigation was submitted by Kyiv to the governing body of the organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

It followed Dutch and German intelligence agencies on Friday saying they had evidence of widespread use of illegal weapons by Russia along the frontline.

Agency chief Fernando Arias said in a statement to the OPCW's Executive Council that in view of the alleged frequent use of dangerous chemical agents his office would step up monitoring of activity along the Russia-Ukraine conflict line, Reuters reportf.

He invited Ukraine to discuss its proposal with member states, a majority of whom may be needed to support such an investigation.

The OPCW created a similar team in 2018 to examine accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria. The Investigation and Identification Team found that Syrian government forces and Islamic State militants had used banned chemical weapons in the civil war that began in March 2011. The United States first accused Russia in May last year of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One. The OPCW, a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated".

Both sides have denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which escalated when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

"Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take steps towards establishing an independent and impartial mechanism (to) investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine," a copy of the request shared with Reuters said.

It asked that the mechanism be empowered to "collect additional evidence and identify perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of such use."

It was submitted at the beginning of four days of closed-door meetings by the 41-country Executive Council of the OPCW. The disarmament body had no immediate comment on the request.

At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities.

On Monday, Britain targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.