—
Russia receives ammunition and military equipment from Iraq for its military efforts in Ukraine through Iranian arms smuggling networks.
About it informs The Guardian.
RPGs and anti-tank missiles, as well as Brazilian-made multiple rocket launchers, were sent to Russia from Iraq as Moscow’s campaign failed. Tehran authorities also donated an Iranian-made Bavar 373 missile system, similar to the Russian S-300, to Moscow, according to a source who helped organize the transportation.
Moscow is forced to rely on Iran, its military ally in Syria, after new sanctions triggered by the invasion of Ukraine.
Iraq has hosted US and Western troops since the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and the US has trained and supplied various units of the Iraqi army and special forces to defend the Baghdad government from insurgents. After two decades of war, the country was filled with weapons.
A significant part legally passed into the hands of Iranian-backed Shiite militias opposed to the US presence in the country, but since 2016 have been officially included in the armed forces of Iraq as part of the fight against the Islamic State.
RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) and anti-tank missiles owned by Hashd al-Shaabi were transported to Iran through the Salamja border crossing on March 26, where they were received by the Iranian military and transported by sea to Russia, said the commander of the section that controls the crossing.
Hashd al-Shaabi also dismantled and sent in parts two Brazilian-made Astros II multiple launch rocket systems, known in Iraq as a licensed version of the Sajil-60, to Iran on April 1, the organization source said.
“We don’t care where the heavy weapons have gone [потому что оно нам пока не нужно]”, – said one of the sources Hashd al-Shaabi. “What is anti-American makes us happy.”
According to the interlocutors of the publication, the Russians most of all need missiles.
In response to Russian aggression, a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the EU, Japan, and others, introduced unprecedented economic and personal sanctions against Moscow. In particular, they also affected the banking system. This led to the depreciation of the ruble. In addition, Russian banks can no longer issue cash to citizens on transfers and foreign exchange accounts. Earlier, the citizens of the Russian Federation stopped selling cash currency.
Read also:
–
Related
