Russia no longer needs Iran’s continued support for its war in Ukraine, Russia’s defence industry has switched to China, says the Financial Times.
Israeli strikes have hurt Iran’s production of drones and missiles. Iranian weapons, especially drones, have been valuable to Russia’s war effort. Now, having suffered such a major defeat, Tehran will need to rebuild and may not be able to help the Kremlin in Ukraine for quite some time, the journalists note.
“Despite this history of co-operation, a weakened Iran is unlikely to have much impact on Russia’s military efforts today. That’s because Russia is now producing huge quantities of Shahed-136 domestically, having obtained the technology to produce it. As Russia has localised production in its Alabuga special economic zone,” the publication writes.
As Russia has reduced its dependence on Iran, it has increasingly turned to China for spare parts, the FT notes.
“The ongoing construction of a Russian-Chinese logistics complex in Alabuga bodes well for China’s growing involvement in drone production in Russia, including new models,” the journalists note.
The publication adds that Israel’s damage to Iranian missile production would have limited consequences. Russia received a shipment of Iranian Fath-360 missiles last autumn and has reportedly requested other models in the past, but it has not even used these Fath-360 missiles in Ukraine.
At the beginning of the war, Iran provided Russia with badly needed Shahed-136 attack drones and the technology to produce them. Iran also supported Russia’s war in other ways, shipping artillery shells and other munitions across the Caspian Sea.
Also, Iran and Russia signed a strategic partnership pact in January.
China has positioned itself as a neutral party in Russia’s war against Ukraine and says it does not provide military assistance to either side.