Russian cargo planes have quietly loaded the first batch of Iranian attack drones that Moscow plans to use in the war against Ukraine, US officials say. This highlights not only the deepening of ties between the Kremlin and Tehran, but also Russia's difficulties in providing for its army stretched out on the fronts..

On August 19, transport planes took off from Iran with two types of unmanned aerial vehicles on board.. Both models are capable of carrying weapons to destroy radar, artillery and other military targets.. The Washington Post writes about this, citing intelligence data from the United States and other countries..

Iranian weapons can significantly increase Russian military operations against Ukraine. However, U.S. and other allied security officials say the drone transfer was marred by technical problems..

“When the Russian military conducted the first tests, Iranian drones suffered numerous failures,” the newspaper writes..

" The Russians are unhappy,” said an unnamed intelligence official whose agency closely monitors Iranian arms transfers..

The Washington Post writes that the first batch of drones in Moscow included Mohajer-6 models, as well as several models of the Shahed series.. The Joe Biden administration believes this is the first transfer as part of the sale of hundreds of Iranian drones to Russia. Supplies from Iran could close an important gap in the Russian military campaign against Ukraine. Russia has 1,500-2,000 military reconnaissance drones, but almost no attack vehicles that could carry out attacks behind the Ukrainian defense line. Ukraine, on the other hand, has been using Turkish TB2 Bayraktar combat drones, destroying Russian armored vehicles, trucks and artillery from the very beginning of the war..

Last week, journalist and writer David Ignatius wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post that Iran has begun handing over drones to Russia.. However, at that time nothing was known about what models Moscow received.. Also, nothing was reported about technical failures of Iranian drones.. Sources in the security services of the United States and other allied countries said that Russian aircraft flew to a military base in Iran for several days in mid-August.. The first delivery included the Shahed-129, Shahed-191 and Mohajer-6 drones. Each of the models belongs to the best developments in Iran's arsenal, designed for both reconnaissance and attack..

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Previously, Tehran has supplied its drones to various loyalist militant groups, in particular, the Houthi forces in Yemen.. However, Iranian devices have never actually been tested for their ability to withstand the air defense and electronic warfare systems that Ukraine uses.. This was pointed out by Michael Knights, a military expert at the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy.. Iran has demonstrated the ability to organize attacks by " Knights said Western governments will be watching closely to see if Iranian vehicles can carry out such operations on a battlefield as intense as in Ukraine..

“Iranian drones did not work in an environment where there are advanced air defense systems. Cases where conditions have been closer to this include when the Houthis have launched strikes against Saudi Arabia or when drones have been used against US bases in Iraq.. And in these cases they did not perform very well.. So I won’t be surprised if there are some problems with them in an even more intense environment in Ukraine,” the expert said..

The invasion of Ukraine exposed Russia's failure to develop its own combat drones, similar to those the US has been using for more than 20 years..

“They understand that they need these drones for yesterday and in large numbers,” said CNA research group analyst Sam Bendett..

There are only two countries that Moscow can turn to for help to close this gap in military capabilities.. This is China and Iran. But China is heavily dependent on global supply chains and does not want to supply combat drones to Russia for fear of US sanctions.. So only Iran remains, whose production relies solely on internal capabilities.. And this, according to Bendett, is exactly what Russia is striving for..

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The Washington Post recalls that in June the United States began to supply Ukraine with HIMARS artillery systems capable of destroying Russian targets at a distance of up to 70 kilometers.. They allowed the Ukrainian army to destroy numerous Russian ammunition depots and logistics channels far behind the front line..

“The Russians do not have the ability to limit the damage caused to them by the installation of HIMARS. They hope that strike drones will help with this,” said Dmitry Alperovich, head of the Silverado Policy Accelerator analytical center..

In turn, Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, added that NATO countries also transferred long-range artillery howitzers, such as the M777, capable of launching precision-guided munitions to Ukraine..

“The biggest problem for Russia right now is that its Air Force is unable to do anything behind the Ukrainian front line.. They do not have a large number of drones to strike targets in the rear. Therefore, they can do nothing to prevent Ukraine from strengthening its positions and replenishing supplies.. Many Russian drones have been shot down or lost due to electronic warfare systems,” Li said..

Russia apparently wants to revive the production of attack drones at home.

But Western sanctions and export controls are undermining these efforts, depriving Russian companies of access to semiconductors..

" Chips are needed for everything from guided missiles to aircraft and tanks, not to mention non-military domestic products.. Therefore, Russia has a very large demand for chips. And if Russia can buy ready-made drones in Iran, it does not need to use valuable chips obtained through the black market to create its own machines,” Alperovich explained..