Russia facing problems with Iran-made drones

Ukraine President Zelenskyy warns Russians “should know: we will drive them to the border. To our border, the line of which has not changed,” as war rolls into 188th day.

The Biden administration released satellite imagery (not pictured) indicating that Russian officials visited Kashan Airfield on June 8 and July 5 to view the Iranian drones. (Iranian Army via AP / AP)

Tuesday, August 30, 2022 US: Russia facing technical problems with Iran drones Russia has faced technical problems with Iranian-made drones acquired from Tehran this month for use in its war with Ukraine, according to Biden administration officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the US intelligence assessment, did not detail the “numerous failures." They added that the US assesses that the delivery of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles over several days this month is likely part of a Russian plan to acquire hundreds of Iranian UAVs. The Associated Press reported last week that Russia had recently obtained hundreds of Iranian drones capable of being used in its war against Ukraine despite US warnings to Tehran not to ship them.  The Biden administration last month released satellite imagery indicating that Russian officials visited Kashan Airfield on June 8 and July 5 to view the Iranian drones. Russia struggling to recruit soldiers: Pentagon Russia is struggling to find more soldiers to fight in Ukraine, even tapping prisons. A senior US defence official said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree last Thursday was to increase the headcount of the country's army by about 10 percent to 1.15 million servicemen, starting January next year. The Pentagon believes that "this effort is unlikely to succeed, as Russia has historically not met personnel and strength targets," the official said. "Russia has already begun trying to expand recruitment efforts," the official told journalists on the basis of anonymity. "They've done this in part by eliminating the upper age limit for new recruits. Many of these new recruits have been observed as older, unfit and ill-trained," the official said. IAEA team heads to nuclear plant International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said he was en route to inspect Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The UN's nuclear watchdog has for months been asking to visit the site, warning of "the very real risk of a nuclear disaster". Writing on Twitter, Grossi on Monday said an IAEA support and assistance mission was "now on its way" with the team due to arrive "later this week". Ukraine troops breach Russian defences near Kherson Ukrainian troops mounting a counter-offensive have broken through Russian defences in several sectors of the front line near the city of Kherson, a senior advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a video interview on Youtube, Oleksiy Arestovych also said Ukrainian forces were shelling the ferries that Moscow is using to supply a pocket of Russian-occupied territory on the west bank of the Dnipro river in the Kherson region.  "This is what we have been waiting for since the spring – it is the beginning of the de-occupation of Kherson region," local government official Sergey Khlan told Ukraine's Pryamyi TV channel. For live updates from Monday (August 29), click here Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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Taliban government accuses Pakistan of providing airspace for US drones

Afghanistan's defence minister demands Pakistan not allow its airspace to be used by the US military, while Islamabad denies the accusation and cites a lack of evidence.

Afghan Minister of Defence Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob told a press conference in Kabul that deploying drones into Afghanistan is still a clear invasion of the country by the US. (AFP)

The Taliban's acting defence minister has said that Pakistan had allowed US drones to use its airspace to access Afghanistan, which Pakistan's foreign minister denied. Afghan Acting Minister of Defence Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob told a news conference on Sunday in Kabul that American drones had been entering Afghanistan via Pakistan. "According to our information the drones are entering through Pakistan to Afghanistan, they use Pakistan's airspace, we ask Pakistan, don't use your airspace against us," he said. Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he had made checks after the air strike and had been told that Pakistani airspace was not used. He said he would check again after Sunday's allegations but expected the position to be the same. "I really don't believe that this is a time that I wish to get into a debate with anyone or to have accusations... frankly, I'm focused on the flood relief efforts," Bhutto-Zardari said in an interview, referring to deadly floods in Pakistan that have left millions of people homeless. "The Afghan regime has promised not only to its own people, but to the international community, that they will not allow their soil to be used for terrorists," he said. A spokesperson for the US Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment. READ MORE: Western model for Afghanistan was wrong - former US top general [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFzrK4_teRY[/embed] 'Absence of any evidence' Pakistan's foreign ministry released a statement saying it noted Yaqoob's comments with "deep concern". "In the absence of any evidence, as acknowledged by the Afghan Minister himself, such conjectural allegations are highly regrettable and defy the norms of responsible diplomatic conduct," the statement said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Taliban "grossly violated" a 2020 agreement on the withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan by hosting and sheltering Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri Pakistani authorities have previously denied involvement in or advanced knowledge of a drone strike the United States said it carried out in Kabul in July that killed Zawahiri. The Taliban said it is investigating the July air strike and that it has not found the al Qaeda leader's body. Yaqoob's comments came at a time when the Afghan Taliban is mediating talks between Pakistan and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistani Taliban.  Afghanistan, which is undergoing an acute economic crisis, also relies heavily on trade with Pakistan. READ MORE: US judge: 9/ 11 victims not entitled to seize Afghanistan's frozen funds Source: AFP

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Taiwan flares 'drive away' suspected drones amid China tensions

Suspected drones fly over heavily fortified Kinmen islands, Taipei says, as China displays new show of force in Taiwan Strait.

Drones may have been intended to gather intelligence on Taiwan's security deployment in its outlying islands, a Taiwanese official says. (Reuters Archive)

Taiwan has fired flares to drive away unidentified aircraft, probably drones, that flew above the area of its Kinmen islands, the Defence Ministry said, as China geared for a massive military drill following US politician Nancy Pelosi's controversial trip to the island state.

Major General Chang Zone-sung of the Army's Kinmen Defence Command told the Reuters news agency that the drones came in a pair and flew into the Kinmen area twice on Wednesday night, at around 9 PM and 10 PM [local time].

"We immediately fired flares to issue warnings and to drive them away. After that, they turned around. They came into our restricted area and that's why we dispersed them," he said.

The heavily fortified Kinmen islands are just off the southeastern coast of China, near the city of Xiamen.

"We have a standard operating procedure. We will react if they come in," Chang said, adding that the alert level there remained "normal".

Chang said he believed the drones were intended to gather intelligence on Taiwan's security deployment in its outlying islands.

Last week, Taiwan's military fired flares to warn away a drone that "glanced" its Matsu archipelago off the coast of China's Fujian province and was possibly probing its defences, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.

On Thursday, Taiwan also reported its website suffered cyber attacks and went offline temporarily, adding it was working closely with other authorities to enhance cyber security.

Earlier this week, several government websites, including the presidential office, were subject to overseas cyber attacks, some of which authorities said were launched by China and Russia.

READ MORE: China readies military drills as Taiwan braces for Pelosi visit fallout

High tensions in volatile region

Taiwan has been on alert as China conducts a series of military exercises in response to a visit to the island this week by US House of Representatives Speaker Pelosi.

Beijing considers Taiwan as its inseparable part, but the latter has maintained its self-rule since 1949 and enjoys diplomatic ties with at least 14 countries.

Interactions between Washington and Taipei have grown significantly since the tenure of former US president Donald Trump, with former and sitting lawmakers making trips to the island home to more than 25 million people.

The US formally recognised China in 1979 and shifted diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing, and accepted Taiwan as part of the mainland under Washington's One China policy.

READ MORE: Taiwan sees China drills, economic reprisals amid 'egregious' Pelosi tour

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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