Russia could send troops to Iran – Zelenskyy

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he believes Russia is capable of sending troops to help Iran.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Caolan Robertson

Details: Zelenskyy said Russia has started aiding the Iranian regime with drones, will "definitely help with missiles", and is also helping them with air defence.

Quote: "Given the situation, there is only one question: when and which country will be the first to support the Iranian regime by sending troops? As happened with Russia, when North Korea sent 10,000 soldiers, who are now deployed in Russia but can be sent to Ukraine. The same could happen in Iran – Russia could send troops there."

Background:

• On 28 February, the US and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran, carrying out hundreds of strikes on the country's strategic facilities. It was reported that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and at least seven Iranian military officials had been killed in the strikes.
• Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei was later chosen as the country's new supreme leader.
• Russian leader Vladimir Putin congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as Iran's supreme leader.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that the Iranian side has not asked Russia for any assistance beyond the political support provided by Moscow.
• In January 2025, Russia and Iran signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, which includes enhanced military cooperation.
• The Financial Times reported in late February that Iran had concluded a secret deal with Russia worth about €500 million to purchase thousands of the latest man-portable air defence systems as part of a large-scale programme to restore its air defence system, which was damaged during last year's war with Israel.
• The Washington Post reported in early March that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East.

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