Iranian general suspected of helping Russia launch 'Shahed' production - Prosecutor General

Iranian General Abdollah Mehrabi has been served with a notice of suspicion in a case concerning assistance to Russia in launching the production of attack drones, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced on social media on Tuesday, UNN reports.

Iranian general helped Russia launch production of attack drones - Ukraine's prosecutor's office notified him of suspicion

Details

According to the Prosecutor General, "in July 2022, the top military-political leadership of the Russian Federation entered into a conspiracy with representatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the supply and localization of production of Shahed-136 attack drones for the armed forces of the Russian Federation."

"The implementation of this agreement took place, in particular, under the leadership of Brigadier General Abdollah Mehrabi - head of the Aerospace Force Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC - and with the participation of structures controlled by him," the Prosecutor General noted.

According to the data provided by the Prosecutor General, Mehrabi is also one of the leaders of the Iranian missile program and co-owner of "Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Company (Mado)", which produces engines for Shahed-136 UAVs. These are critical elements ensuring the range and autonomy of drone flight, Kravchenko pointed out.

"The military-technical alliance of the aggressor country and its accomplice involved the use of Iranian technologies in the Russian defense industry, large-scale supplies of equipment and components, as well as significant financing, including payment in gold," the Prosecutor General continued.

"In January 2023, Mehrabi, along with other Iranian representatives, visited the city of Yelabuga (Republic of Tatarstan, Russia), where a new production site was created. Mass production of attack drones was organized at the Alabuga special economic zone," Kravchenko reported.

According to his data, "the suspect is also involved in the training of Russian engineers and military personnel, including organizing crew training in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine - in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Kherson region."

"As a result of such cooperation, the Russian Federation received over 13,000 Geran-2 UAVs (the Russian name for Iranian Shahed-136s) in 2023-2024, as well as components and equipment totaling over $324 million. These UAVs were subsequently transferred to the Russian army and used for strikes on the territory of Ukraine," Kravchenko stated.

Thus, Abdollah Mehrabi, acting in conspiracy with the top military-political leadership of the Russian Federation, deliberately provided means and instruments for waging an aggressive war against Ukraine. He has been notified of suspicion of complicity in waging an aggressive war, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)

As the Prosecutor General noted, "the prosecutor's office systematically and consistently works to document every war crime, prepare proper evidence, and identify all involved persons - both direct perpetrators and those who provide the enemy with technology."

"We continue to work," Kravchenko stressed.