The War on Irregular Drones: The Kamikaze in Ukraine and the Implications for American and Bosnian Arms
They had their first crack at international arms dealing, and they weren’t the only ones. Contract documents and other records obtained by The New York Times show that the deal relied on layers of middlemen and transit across seven countries. And it exists in a legal gray area, designed to skirt the arms-export rules of other countries.
They said time is of the essence in a letter to the Ministry of Defense. They outlined a plan to sell American, Bulgarian and Bosnian arms to Ukraine.
The Biden Administration has quietly accelerated hundreds of millions of dollars in private arms sales to Ukraine, a process that used to take weeks. In just the first four months of the year — the latest data available — the State Department authorized more than $300 million in private deals to Ukraine, government documents show. During the fiscal year of 2021, the department gave away less than 15 million dollars of such sales to Ukraine.
The Russians have already used drones to kill people in Ukraine, the last shipment of weapons from Iran included 450. Ukrainian officials said last week that they have shot down more than 300 Iranian drones.
The name “kamikaze” refers to the fact the drones are disposable. They can hit behind enemy lines and be destroyed in an attack, unlike the bigger and faster military drones that return home after dropping missiles.
According to an inquiry by the Ukrainian armed forces, some of the parts used in the drones are made by Texas Instruments, as well as an engine that is owned by Canada’s Bombardier Recreational Products. Any use of technology for illegal purpose has been condemned by both companies.
The Iranian drones are referred to as loitering munition due to their ability to circle in an area for a while, and only strike after an enemy asset is identified.
The Shahed drones have a disadvantage in their speed. Marine Col. Mark Cancian, who now serves as a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Cancian said the problem with them was that they were slow. “They’re propeller-driven and you know, like all propeller-driven drones, they’re just not very fast so they’re susceptible to being shot down by either missiles or by aircraft guns.”
The Russia-Iran War and the Blitz: Moscow’s Defense Forces in Kiev and the U.S.-Russian War on Crime
Russia’s acquisition of weapons from Iran was due to the fact that they were not able to replenish their own stocks of missiles. “So [they have] resorted to much cheaper Iranian options.”
As Russia struggles with the situation in Ukraine, it appears to be turning to Iran for help. This development has caused concern from the West and Tehran’s regional adversaries.
Both Nadimi and Cancian compared the Russian decision to target cities as it is losing on the frontlines to The Blitz – the German bombing campaign that targeted London in World War II.
“It seems like the Russians are using these the way they use their cruise missiles – that is to strike at the major cities likely with the intention of intimidating the Ukrainian population … but I think from a military point of view that is a mistake,” Cancian said. “The Ukrainians are very unlikely to break. The happiness is not likely to break.
Cancian said the military could recover more quickly by focusing on the cities than they would by fighting on the front lines.
The Pentagon has said that it will deliver the same ground-based air defense systems used to protect the White House in Washington, D.C., to Russia in a few weeks.
“These charges reveal two separate global schemes to violate U.S. export and sanctions laws, including by shipping sensitive military technologies from U.S. manufacturers – including types found in seized Russian weapons platforms in Ukraine – and attempting to reexport a machine system with potential application in nuclear proliferation and defense programs to Russia,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement.
The Justice Department stated that a piece of equipment originally manufactured in Connecticut, bound for Moscow, had application in nuclear proliferation and defense programs.
Garland said investigators and prosecutors would be relentless in their efforts to identify, locate, and bring to justice those who undermine the rule of law and allow the Russian regime to continued its invasion of Ukraine.
The indictments are the most recent action law enforcement has taken with the help of the department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, which was announced earlier this year and part of an effort to enforce sanctions against Russian government officials and oligarchs.
The case, described in an indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, accuses the seven defendants of acting on behalf of two Moscow companies, Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, that prosecutors say operate under the direction of Russia’s intelligence services.
When it announced the sanctions, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said those being targeted were “instrumental to the Russian Federation’s war machine.” Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, echoed that language in announcing the charges on Tuesday.
To complete the transactions, the defendants falsified shipping documents and ran tens of millions of dollars through bank accounts they had created under fake company names, prosecutors said. One of the defendants allegedly bragged about how easy it was to dupe the banks, saying that there were “no worries…this is the sh*ttiest bank in the Emirates.”
Four people, three of them from Latvia and one from the Ukranian, are facing charges for their alleged role in a scheme to smuggle a high-precision grinding machine to Russia.
The justice department said the three Latvians were arrested in their country on Tuesday at the request of the United States which is trying to extradite them. Charging documents have not been unsealed for the case, and it is not yet clear if the defendants have entered a formal plea.
The US Special Envoy to the Middle East: What the Biden Administration is Doing to Support ‘Corrupt Crime’ in Iran?
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Since Russia’s invasion, the two sanctioned countries have cooperated on political and economic matters, with the military dimension being the latest facet in their relationship.
Iran’s military equipment now consists of over 80 percent of it’s own items, he was quoted as saying by Fars.
While Russia’s use of Iranian weapons may say more about its desperation in the war than Tehran’s military prowess, experts say that media reports about Iran’s killer drones are bolstering its image as it tries to show the world that its arms can compete in international conflict.
“For the Iranians, it is about getting market share, it is about prestige, it is about solidifying alliances,” said Eric Lob, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute’s Iran program, adding that these are incentives for a country that is as isolated as Iran.
Avivi said that Israel, too, is likely to be watching closely and that he was a retired senior general.
He said that it was an opportunity and a threat. “It’s an opportunity for us to really see [Iranian] capabilities on the grounds, learn about what’s going on. On the other hand, one of the things that worries us is that [weapons]… might arrive to Hezbollah, for example, [or] to Hamas.”
“It’s a challenge all the time to keep developing and always being one step ahead [of] the capabilities that the other side is developing,” he said. We are paying close attention to what is happening in Ukraine.
The Biden administration has not instigated a regime change in Iran, said Robert Malley, the US Special Envoy.
“Our policy is to defend and support the fundamental rights of Iranian citizens just as we want to support the fundamental rights of citizens across the globe. He said that Iran’s form of government would be up to the Iranians.
We will impose sanctions on the morality police and the people involved in the oppression. Envoy to Iran @Rob_Malley talks to me about what the Biden administration is doing to support the protests in Iran. pic.twitter.com/FGr8IKyVe6
The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked protests around the country with calls for regime change ringing around the streets.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-weapons-in-ukraine-war-mime-intl/index.html
Why does it matter if the EU is a garden? When Mahsa Amini died in a protest on September 17, 2015, and the United Arab Emirates summoned Josép Borrell
Professional Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi said that she “accidentally” competed without a hijab during the Asian Championships in South Korea this week, in an interview with state-run IRNA upon her arrival in Tehran Wednesday.
The European Union on Monday sanctioned 11 people and four entities for their role in the death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent crackdown on protesters. Iran’s Foreign Minister called the move “superfluous.”
At least 215 people have been killed since Iran’s nationwide protests started in September, Norway-based Iran-focused rights group, Iran HR, said on Monday. .
The United Arab Emirates on Monday summoned the acting head of the EU mission in the country, asking for an explanation of what it said were racist comments made by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week. The UAE foreign ministry said the remarks were “inappropriate and discriminatory” and “contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide,” state news agency WAM reported.
The background is important. In his remarks at the new European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium last week, Borrell called Europe “a garden” and most of the world a “jungle” that “could invade the garden.” “The gardeners have to go to the jungle. Europeans have to be much more involved in the rest of the world. The rest of the world would invade us if it weren’t for him. At a press conference on Monday, Borrell denied that his message was racist or colonialist, news agency EFE reported.
Why does it matter? The comments made by the leader of the opposition have sparked a debate on social media in the Middle East, with people accusing him of promoting a colonial narrative. Most of the Middle East had been under European control until the mid-20th century.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-weapons-in-ukraine-war-mime-intl/index.html
The Prime Minister of Kuwait, the Palestinian Authority and the Status of Jerusalem, a Region with a Populous Media Precious State
Israel summoned the Australian ambassador to protest the reversal of a previous government’s decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, according to the Israeli Prime Minister.
Background: Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday justified the reversal of the move by saying the sovereignty of the holy city is a “final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people.”
It matters because. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be a separate capital. It captured the eastern sector of the city in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move not recognized by most of the international community. Palestinians want the occupied eastern sector of the city as the capital of a future state.
A son of an American man imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for speaking out against the Saudi government said his dad is not near being a dissident. Ibrahim Almadi told CNN on Tuesday that if his father had been held in Russia or Iran, “we’d see his name in the headlines every morning.”
People have been sentenced in the past over their use of social media in Saudi Arabia. In August, Saudi women’s rights campaigner Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison for her activity on Twitter, according to court documents viewed by CNN. Another woman, Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for tweets, according to US-based advocacy group DAWN.
It’s not every day that a politician from a small Gulf country trends on social media half the way across the Arab world. But Kuwait’s new parliament speaker is a popular figure who has a following far beyond his country’s borders.
The man with more than 400,000 followers on TWo was popular in Egypt, Kuwait and the U.S. Kuwait is a country of 4.3 million people, just under 2 million of whom are citizens.
He stated that his own country has freedom of expression and representation, but that it cannot be a union with countries with different political systems.
Kuwait is closely watched in the region. Despite the years-long standoff between the government and parliament, which has delayed crucial reform, the country is widely viewed as the most democratic of the six Gulf states, with a vibrant press scene and a relatively open political discourse.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-weapons-in-ukraine-war-mime-intl/index.html
Associated destruction of Yemen’s war-torn western school Hodeida: Iran’s response to Russian actions in the past and future
On the opening day of the new academic year, Yemen’s war-torn western province of Hodeida has a heavily damaged school where children attend class outdoors.
A new expected shipment would show a significant increase in Iran’s support for Russia. While the precise timing of when the shipment will arrive in Russia is unclear, officials believe the weapons will definitely be delivered before the end of the year.
The US is “looking at everything that we can do, not just with sanctions” in order to disrupt the Iranian weaponry from going to Russia, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said last week. He said that the US is “trying to break up these networks.”
Earlier this month John Kirby, the communications coordinator at the National Security Council, said the presence of Iranian personnel was evidence of Tehran’s direct engagement in the conflict.
“We know that those drones have been used to target civilians and civilian infrastructure. Iran is lying and denying that it is happening in the face of all of the evidence.
On Monday a senior US defense official said they didn’t have any information to provide on the suggestion Iran is preparing to send missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
The US imposed sanctions on an air transportation provider last month due to their involvement in the shipment of the Iranian drones to Russia. The US is prepared to target producers as well as procurers who are contributing to the UAV program, according to the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
It is unclear how long Iran can keep supplying weaponry to Russia or if it would continue doing so.
The State of Ukraine (NPR) — Highlights from Nov. 2 – 11: U.S., NATO and U.N.
There is a possibility of a battle for Kherson, a city that is in southern Ukraine. Kremlin-installed officials have been evacuating civilians in preparation for a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Even though Democrats are expected to retain control of the House of Representatives, some Republicans warn that they may limit funding forUkraine if they win.
Turkish President will meet with Swedish Prime Minister on Tuesday. Sweden needs to meet certain conditions before it can join NATO.
The General Assembly of the United Nations is scheduled to discuss an I Atomic Energy Agency report on Ukraine on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “energy terrorism,” as attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure left more than 4 million Ukrainians without electricity.
Russia rejoined a U.N.-brokered deal to safely export grain and other agricultural goods from Ukraine, on Nov. 2. Moscow had suspended its part in the deal a few days prior after saying Ukraine had launched a drone attack on its Black Sea ships.
You can read past recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR’s coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR’s State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.
A search for unlawful procurement of U.S. technology for furtherance of Russia’s brutal war on democracy and prosecution of four Russian defendants on the run
Among those items were a set of 45 advanced semiconductors, a $45,000 low noise cesium synthesizer, and high-quality spectrum analyzers used in electronic testing. Many are so-called dual-use devices that can be employed for military or civilian purposes.
“Our office will not rest in its vigorous pursuit of persons who unlawfully procure U.S. technology to be used in furtherance of Russia’s brutal war on democracy,” Mr. Peace said.
In addition to Mr. Grinin, a 47-year-old Moscow resident, the Justice Department identified the defendants as Alexey Ippolitov, 57, of Moscow; Boris Livshits, 52, a former Brooklyn resident now living in St. Petersburg, Russia; Svetlana Skvortsova, 41, of Moscow; Vadim Konoshchenok, 48, of Tallin, Estonia; Alexey Brayman, 35, of Merrimack, N.H.; and Vadim Yermolenko, 41, of Upper Saddle River, N.J.
The defendants face various conspiracy, fraud and money laundering counts, and could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison apiece if convicted of the most serious charges. The four that are at large are still on the run.
Mr. Brayman, a permanent U.S. resident, and Mr. Yermolenko, an American, appeared in court on Tuesday.
Mr. Brayman was out on a $150,000 bond and subject to a number of conditions, such as turning in his passports and wearing an electronic monitoring device. David Lazarus said that Mr. Brayman was entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Mr. Yermolenko posted a $500,000 bond and was released. Nora Hirozawa, a lawyer for Mr. Yermolenko at his arraignment, declined to comment.
The FSB officer charged with smuggling ammunition into the Russian navy and the alleged transfer of a Patriot battery to Ukraine
The alleged FSB officer was arrested in Estonia last week after allegedly attempting to smuggle twenty cases of US-made sniper rifle ammunition into Russia in late November.
Livshits allegedly purchased the items from US companies through shell companies and US bank accounts, according to the indictment.
Officials said that the Defense Secretary could approve a directive as early as this week to transfer the one Patriot battery already overseas to Ukraine. President Biden would make the final decision.
White House, Pentagon and State Department officials declined to comment on details of the transfer of a Patriot battery, which, if approved, would amount to one of the most sophisticated weapons the U.S. has provided Ukraine.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, told reporters on Tuesday that the United States will continue to prioritize sending air defense systems to assist the Ukrainians in fighting Russian aggression.
There are many questions surrounding the potential transfer, including how long it would take to train Ukrainian soldiers on the system, where they might be deployed, and how much they would cost.
Over the weekend, Russian drone strikes on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa plunged more than 1.5 million people in the region into darkness. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said the strikes by Russia, part of a nationwide assault on Ukraine’s energy grid, had left the region in a “very difficult” situation, warning that it would take days, not hours, to restore power to civilians.
Mr. Zelensky listed financing for weapons as one of his requests in his speech to the Group of 7 nations.
The Biden administration’s probe of the Iran-Israel deal: a key role for the U.S. diplomacy in the war in Ukraine?
The Biden administration has launched an expansive task force to investigate how US and western components, including American-made microelectronics, are ending up in Iranian-made drones Russia is launching by the hundreds into Ukraine, multiple officials familiar with the effort tell CNN.
The US has imposed tough export control restrictions and sanctions to prevent Iran from obtaining high-end materials, but evidence has emerged that suggests Iran is finding an abundance of commercially-available technology.
Last month, the UK-based investigative organization Conflict Armament Research examined several drones that had been downed in Ukraine and found that 82% of their components were manufactured by companies based in the US.
Texas Instruments said in a statement that it was not selling products into Russia, Belarus or Iran. TI complies with applicable laws in the countries where we operate, as well as with law enforcement organizations in those countries. The use of our products in applications that are not designed for them is not supported or condoned by us.
The investigation was intensified recently because the US has learned that the Russian government is ready to open its own factory for drone production as a consequence of the Iran deal, according to the officials.
Agencies across Washington are involved in the task force, including the departments of Defense, State, Justice, Commerce and Treasury, with one official describing the inquiry as an “all hands on deck” initiative. The effort is being overseen by the White House National Security Council as part of an even bigger, “holistic approach” to dealing with Iran, a senior administration official said, from its crackdown on protesters and its nuclear program to its deepening role in the war in Ukraine.
The White House believes it is successfully driving home the scale of the issue with allies. A senior administration official told CNN that there is growing international consensus on Iran and it’s being led by US diplomacy.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/politics/iranian-drones-russia-biden-task-force-us-tech-ukraine/index.html
US and European companies need to be vigilant in monitoring their supply chains for the drones: How much do we really need to do about it?
There is no evidence that any of the western companies are knowingly exporting their technology to be used in the drones, and that is partly why the task force’s job has been so difficult, officials said.
That makes supply chain monitoring a challenge, though experts say US and European companies could be doing a lot more to track where their products are going.
The former chief technology officer at the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said American companies should be doing more to track their supply chains.
It is difficult to keep better track of the distributors, because most of their products are readily available online and off-the-shelf. Ultimately, neutering some Iranian front companies with sanctions and cutting off their supply from some western companies will be akin to “a game of whack a mole,” Alperovitch said, noting that they “can easily find another supplier.”
He added that the real “weak underbelly” of US policy when it comes to export controls is enforcement—and prosecuting the specific individuals involved in the illicit transactions.
“You can put companies on the [sanctioned] entities list,” he added, “but if you don’t actually go after the people involved, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.”