The US continues to monitor possible Russian leakage of weapons supplied to Ukraine by Western allies, the Defense Department (Pentagon) said after it became known that the weapons had appeared in countries such as Iran.
On Friday, the American television channel CNN reported that the United States is convinced that Russia sent to Iran weapons and equipment supplied to Ukraine by NATO and the United States, which remained on the battlefield.
The report, citing sources close to the trial, said that in many cases the equipment was sent to Iran for disassembly and analysis, likely so that the Iranian military could try to build its own version of the weapon.
“We are aware of these reports, and while we will continue to monitor it, we have nothing more to add to Colin Kahl’s statements about this in his recent testimony before Congress,” said Efe, a Pentagon source.
On Feb. 28, Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl appeared before the House Armed Services Committee to defend aid sent to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion a year ago.
Although he did not mention any specific case, Kahl pointed out that “if any of these systems were diverted, it was the Russians who seized the materials on the battlefield.”
Last year, U.S., NATO and other Western officials reported several cases of Russian troops seizing small arms, such as Javelin anti-tank missile launchers and Stinger anti-aircraft systems, that Ukrainian forces were forced to leave behind on the battlefield, CNN reported.
US officials do not believe the problem is widespread or systematic, and the Ukrainian military has been accustomed since the start of the war to report any loss of US-supplied equipment to the Pentagon, sources told CNN.
Russia may be doing this because it believes that by continuing to supply Iran with captured Western weapons, it will encourage Tehran to continue to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, they added.
The White House warned a few days ago that military cooperation between Russia and Iran was expanding, and specified that Tehran had sent artillery and tank ammunition to the invading country, while Moscow could have supplied the Islamic Republic with fighter jets.
This information was voiced by the representative of the White House National Security Council John Kirby, adding that since August Iran has supplied hundreds of “drones” to Russia, which uses them to attack “critical infrastructure” in Ukraine.
Since October, Russia has been regularly bombing Ukraine’s main energy facilities with missiles and drones, which is why millions of people live without electricity and heat.
The Russian military offensive into Ukraine, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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