The Guardian on Wednesday has published some of the contents of a secretive document sent from the Ukrainian government to its Western allies in the G7, which compiles findings from the Iranian-manufactured drones Russia has used in hundreds of attacks on Ukrainian targets.
The conclusion of the document entitled "Barrage deaths: report on Shahed-136/131 UAVs" is that Western components have made their way into construction of Iranian Shahed Kamikaze drones, which Kiev sees as a scandal which must be dealt with.
"A wide range of components produced by western companies have been found in the downed drone models, according to the submission to the G7, which comprises France, the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, plus the EU," The Guardian writes, based on the secret document it has reviewed.
The publication attempted to track down some of the Western companies, located across Europe, whose parts are being used by the Iranians to manufacture the drones:
A fuel pump manufactured in Poland by the German company Ti Automotive GmbH, of which the British multinational TI Fluid Systems is the parent company, was discovered in a Shahed-136, as well as a microcontroller with built-in flash memory and a very low-voltage drop regulator with inhibitor made by the Swiss firm STMicroelectronics, according to the paper.
Also discovered in a Shahed-136, was an integrated circuit of a buffer network driver and a transistor made by International Rectifier, a subsidiary of the German firm Infineon Technologies AG.
TI Fluid Systems did not respond to a request for comment. Their equipment is freely available to buy from retailers across Europe and the company has previously said it does not sell into Iran.
Likely these components are exported to Iran via third party countries with which Tehran has relations, despite Washington's years-long sanctions campaign against the Islamic Republic.
The Ukrainian report references customs information to show that "almost all the imports to Iran originated from Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Costa Rica."
The report found that Western technology enabled Russia to conduct hundreds of drone raids on Ukrainian cities:
In a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine’s government to the G7 governments in August, it is claimed there were more than 600 raids on cities using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) containing western technology in the previous three months.
According to the paper, obtained by the Guardian, 52 electrical components manufactured by western companies were found in the Shahed-131 drone and 57 in the Shahed-136 model, which has a flight range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and cruising speed of 180kmh (111mph).
But perhaps most interesting, and bizarre, was the "solution" that Kiev offered...
The Ukrainian government not only urged Western allies to attack suspected drone manufacturing plants in Iran, Syria, and Russia—but went so far as to request long-range missile so it could conduct these attacks itself.
The Guardian says that Kiev actually wanted to attack Syria and Iran.
"Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities
are filled with European components, according to a secret document
sent by Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in Russia, Iran and Syria," says the report.
The Guardian:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 27, 2023
Ukraine suggested allies launch missile strikes on Iraninian Shahed UAV factories.
Among the suggestions for action by Ukraine’s western allies – at which they would probably baulk – are “missile strikes on the production plants of these UAVs in Iran, Syria, as… pic.twitter.com/zd9tSl1Q1C
And according to the very words quoted from the Ukraine-authored document itself:
Among the suggestions for action by Ukraine’s western allies – at which they would probably baulk – are "missile strikes on the production plants of these UAVs in Iran, Syria, as well as on a potential production site in the Russian federation."
The document goes on: "The above may be carried out by the Ukrainian defense forces if partners provide the necessary means of destruction."
If such a wild scenario as Ukraine attacking Middle East countries were to play out, it would probably broaden the war. At the very least, Iran would be pulled more directly into the conflict, and it would be easy to imagine a scenario where Tehran began sending its own troops to Ukraine to partner with the invading Russian forces.
