Ukraine’s Attorney General, Andriy Kostin, has announced the opening of a criminal case against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier, Abbas Mousavi Sharifi Molasarai. The officer is suspected of assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine and committing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

The announcement, made on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), marks a significant escalation in Ukraine’s efforts to hold Iran accountable for its alleged role in the ongoing conflict. Yuriy Bylosov, head of the war crimes department in the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, stated in a televised interview that this move effectively recognizes Iran as an active participant in the war on Ukrainian territory.

According to Kostin, the prosecutor’s investigation reveals that between July and August 2022, Russian and Iranian representatives reached an agreement for the purchase of Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 attack drones, along with related equipment. Following this agreement, Iranian experts reportedly trained Russian soldiers in the use of these drones for combat operations against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Security Service had previously identified Brigadier General Sharifi Molasarai as directly assisting Russian occupation forces and organizing their training. In 2022, Molasarai allegedly led a team of Iranian UAV trainers who traveled to Russian-occupied Crimea.

Kostin further stated that from September to October 2022, a group of Iranian military trainers used at least 20 attack drones in Ukraine’s Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions, resulting in the destruction of civilian infrastructure protected under international humanitarian law.

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine has charged Molasarai under the country’s criminal laws with:

  1. Assisting in a pre-planned aggressive war against Ukraine
  2. Violating the laws and regulations of war
  3. Committing war crimes

In addition to Molasarai, seven other Iranian military personnel sent to Ukraine as trainers face similar charges.

The General Prosecutor’s Office added that while the indictment was issued in absentia, all evidence has been provided to Ukraine’s allies and will be handed over to Interpol. This move aims to ensure that the suspect and all those involved in these alleged crimes cannot evade responsibility for their actions.

New evidence suggests that Russia’s request for Iranian military aid dates back to the summer of 2022, approximately four months after the start of Russia’s massive military offensive and coinciding with significant advances by Ukrainian forces on the northeastern and southern fronts. In response to this request, Iran reportedly delivered at least 1,500 drones to Russia within two months. By late September of the same year, Russia began using these drones on the front lines and in attacks against Ukrainian cities.

To date, thousands of Shahed model drones have been launched against targets in Ukraine. Evidence indicates that the Iranian government may have assisted Russia in establishing a production line for these drones within Russian territory.

This development follows Ukraine’s accusation in October 2022 that Iran was providing weapons to Russia for use in the war. Reports indicate that since the fall of 2022, Russia has employed Iranian-made Shahed 136 and 131 suicide drones, as well as Mohajer 6 multi-purpose drones in its operations against Ukraine.

While Iran’s regime initially denied supplying drones to Russia, it later acknowledged the transfer, claiming that the drones were delivered before the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The situation has raised international concerns, with the US White House warning in November 2023 that Iran was preparing to provide ballistic missiles to Russia. Subsequent reports by Reuters suggested that Iran had already sent hundreds of such missiles to Russia.

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