A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for the liquidation of Iranian factories making drones and missiles and the arrest of their suppliers.
Presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Iran was “planning to boost missile, drone supplies for Russia” with blatant disregard for international sanctions.
Kyiv has accused Tehran of supplying 1700 Shahed-136 loitering munitions to Moscow, which it says have been used to hit targets in Ukraine since September.
“Non-working sanctions” ought to be abandoned, Podolyak wrote, replaced with more “destructive” measures such as the “liquidation of plants” and the “arrest of suppliers.”
Podolyak’s comments come after CNN and other outlets reported last month that Iran was preparing to send more weapons, including surface-to-surface short range ballistic missile and more attack drones to Russia before the end of the year.
The Iranian government acknowledged last month that it had sent a limited number of drones to Russia before the start of its invasion of Ukraine, but has denied supplying military equipment for use in the war.
During his landmark trip to the US earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said those claims were false and accused Tehran of sending “deadly drones” to Russia in “hundreds and hundreds.”
US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday called for a fact finding team to investigate Russia’s renewed use of Iranian drones against Ukraine’s infrastructure, and a review of Iran’s violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
View Podolyak’s tweet, below:
CNN’s Kylie Atwood contributed reporting to this post.