U.S. officials have revealed that Russian cargo planes have smuggled the first batch of Iranian combat drones to be used against Ukraine, according to the Washington Post.

According to information gathered by intelligence agencies, including US intelligence, on August 19, transport planes flew out of Iran with at least two types of drones capable of carrying ammunition to strike at radars, artillery and other military targets.

The newspaper quoted US and allied security officials as saying Russian planes were heading to an Iranian military facility to host these rallies for several days in mid-August.

A Washington-allied government security official said the initial shipment included two types of Shahid drones, the Shahid 129 and Shahid 191, in addition to the Muhajir 6, pointing out that all of these drones are considered among the best military marches in the world. .Iran, and is also designed to carry out attacks as well as for surveillance.

The deal has been negotiated for months by a team led by Maj. Gen. Seyyed Hojatollah Qureshi, head of supply and logistics at the Iranian Defense Ministry, and the Russian military attache in Tehran, officials said.

According to the agreements reached, Iranian technicians went to Russia to help set up systems for drones, and the Russian military received training in Iran, the American newspaper reports.

While the weapons could have given a significant boost to Russia’s military efforts against Ukraine, their transfer has been hampered by technical issues, these officials said.

The newspaper quoted U.S. and allied government officials as saying that Iranian drones experienced many malfunctions during initial tests conducted by the Russians. “There are a few bugs in the system,” said an official who closely followed the transmission, adding that the Russians were “not satisfied.”

US President Joe Biden’s administration officials, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, believe that this initial delivery of Iranian Muhajir-6 and Shahid drones to Moscow is the first deployment of a pre-planned operation to transport hundreds of various kinds of Iranian marches to Russia.

According to the Washington Post, Iranian drones could fill a major gap in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia has between 1,500 and 2,000 military reconnaissance drones, but has a relatively small number of combat drones capable of delivering precision strikes against targets deep in enemy territory. On the other hand, since the first weeks of the conflict, Ukraine has been using Turkish-made drones to destroy Russian armored vehicles, trucks and artillery.