A diplomatic source at the UN said that Russia had asked Iran to purchase hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles.
“We know that Iran intends to increase the supply of drones and missiles to Russia in large quantities,” the source told the German news agency.
He added that Moscow is doing this to address the acute shortage of military materials. “I don’t think it was sent, but it is clearly on the order books,” the source confirmed.
Russia already uses hundreds of Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones.
He denies using so-called kamikaze drones, and Iran admitted last November that it supplied drones to Russia.
Subsequently, the EU countries imposed additional sanctions against Iran, which has already been subjected to a set of punitive measures.
A United Nations Security Council resolution following the 2015 Iran nuclear deal bans Tehran from making such arms deals.
In addition, the official news agency Belta quotes a statement by the Security Council of Belarus: “During this period, it is planned to transfer military equipment and personnel from the national security forces.”
He added that “the movement of citizens (transportation) will be restricted on some roads and public areas, and the use of imitation weapons for training purposes will also be planned.”
Belarus has said it will not go to war in neighboring Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko has in the past ordered his troops to deploy alongside Russian forces near the border with Ukraine, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and the West.
Ukraine has been warning for months that it fears Belarus and Russia are planning another invasion across its northern borders.
In a statement posted yesterday on Facebook, the General Staff of Ukraine said that “enemy units are being trained at training grounds in the Republic of Belarus,” while Russian attacks continue from the territory of Belarus.
Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin to discuss military cooperation.
