Kremlin media report on a statement by Russia's permanent representative to the UN denying the use of Iranian Shahed drones against Ukraine. RIA "Novosti" in the article under the heading "Nebenzya ridiculed the "evidence" of the use of Iranian UAVs in Ukraine" writes :
“Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya ridiculed the ‘evidence’ cited by Western countries and Kyiv about Moscow’s alleged use of Iranian drones in Ukraine.
“All we see are some 'suspicions' and vague 'assessments' based on 'information from open sources'. This is especially evident in the insinuations about the so-called Iranian drones allegedly used in Ukraine,” the diplomat said.
The Permanent Representative showed the members of the UN Security Council a photograph depicting Volodymyr Zelensky and a nearby UAV, presumably.
“Some of the 'photo evidence' is completely comical. A photo of Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly with a Shahed drone has been widely circulated in the media. This drone is three meters long and has a wingspan of two meters. Thus, the Ukrainian president should be about two and a half meters tall. This fake photo has long been ridiculed by Internet users,” Nebenzya said.
Nebenzya even downplayed the size of the Iranian kamikaze drone Shahed 136 : in fact, its length is 3.5 m, and its wingspan is 2.5 m. But this is not the only Shahed model used by Russia in the war against Ukraine. The dimensions of the Shahed 131 model are much more modest: length 2.6 m, wingspan 2.2 m.
Zelensky is seen standing next to a downed Shahed 131 in a BBC photo.
Back in October 2022, Germany, the US, Britain and France called on the UN to investigate Russia's alleged use of Iranian attack drones in the war in Ukraine. In their opinion, the supply of these drones could be a violation of the UN Security Council resolution adopted in connection with Iran's nuclear program. Russia still does not allow an investigation to begin; On June 23, Nebenzia stated that the UN Secretariat does not have such a mandate and launching an investigation would be a provocation.
