Iran’s Fateh-360 short-range missile
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Saturday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy Makes His Case For Strikes Inside Russia
Map: Institute for the Study of War
UPDATE 1358 GMT:
The toll has risen to 58 killed from Tuesday’s Russian missiles strikes on Poltava in central Ukraine, with the deaths of three more victims in hospital.
More than 320 people were wounded in the attacks on a Military Institute of Communications, partially destroying the building, and an adjacent hospital.
See also Ukraine War, Day 924: Mourning in Poltava as Russia’s Missiles Kill 51+
UPDATE 0715 GMT:
Iran’s delegation to the UN has denied any missile or weapon transfers to Russia: “The Islamic Republic has not provided weapons to any party involved in the conflict in Ukraine and has urged other countries to stop doing so.”
But a leading Iranian MP has confirmed the deliveries.
Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the outlet Didban Iran:
We have to barter for our needs, including importing soybeans and wheat. Part of the barter involves sending missiles, and another part involves sending military drones to Russia.
Asked if this might lead to more international sanctions on Iran, Ardestani replied, “It can’t get any worse than it already is. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi, so why not to Russia?”
UPDATE 0657 GMT:
At least 11 civilians have been killed and 32 injured by Russian strikes across Ukraine in the past 24 hours.
Ukrainian air defenses downed 15 of 23 Iran-type drones and one Kh-59 guided missile launched by Russia overnight. Two Russian drones were “lost” on Ukrainian territory, likely as a result of electronic warfare.
But a Russian airstrike killed two civilians and injured four, including two children, in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine.
Private homes and vehicles were damaged.
UPDATE 0641 GMT:
Five civilians were killed by Russian shelling of the Dontesk region on Saturday.
Three people were killed and four injured in Kostyantynivka. A multi-storey block, administrative building, and shop were damaged.
The town has been the target of deadly Russian strikes, including a missile strike last month on a supermarket which killed 17 civilians, including three children, and injured more than 40.
See also Ukraine War, Day 899: Russia’s Mass Murder At A Supermarket In The East
Two men in their 50s were slain near the town of Toretsk.
In the Kherson region in the south, a 45-year-old man was killed by shelling of the village of Ponyativka. A Russian drone dropped explosives on another village, Odradokamyanka, injuring a 69-year-old woman.
In the Dnipropetrosk region in south-central Ukraine, shelling killed a 76-year-old woman and wounded a 60-year-old woman in two settlements near Nikopol.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Multiple US and European officials say Iran has sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine.
A US official confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the missiles had been delivered, despite Western warnings, and a “senior European official” said more shipments are expected.
A Ukrainian military intelligence official told The Times that a Russian ship delivered more than 200 Fateh-360 short-range missiles to an undisclosed port in the Caspian Sea last Wednesday.
The officials described the missiles as a “game changer”, enhancing Russia’s ability to strike Ukrainian towns and cities from greater distances. He said the development further illustrated the need for Ukraine to be able to fire long-range missiles — including US ATACMS, British Storm Shadows, and French SCALPs — on targets inside Russia.
Iran and Russia signed a contract in December 2023 for the provision of the Fateh-360s and Ababil close-range missiles.
Last month, two European intelligence sources said dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fateh-360s.
In mid-June, the G7 nations said, “We call on Iran to stop assisting Russia’s war in Ukraine and not to transfer ballistic missiles and related technology, as this would represent a substantive material escalation and a direct threat to European security.”
US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett commented on Friday:
We have been warning of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and are alarmed by these reports.
We and our partners have made clear both at the G7 and at the NATO summits this summer that together, we are prepared to deliver significant consequences. Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
European officials said they are working with the US on a response that will likely include further sanctions on Iran and a ban on Iran Air from flying to European airports.
