Iranian trainers on the ground help Russia with Ukraine drone attacks: US

This undated photograph released by the Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate shows the wreckage of what Kyiv says is an Iranian Shahed drone downed near Kupiansk. Pic/AP

The United States said on Thursday that Iranian military trainers were in Crimea helping Russian forces operate Iranian-made drones to attack targets in Ukraine, adding an alarming strand to a war that has heightened geopolitical tensions.

"We can confirm that Russian military personnel based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs and using them to conduct kinetic strikes across Ukraine, including in strikes against Kyiv in recent days," U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told a daily briefing with reporters, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. "We assess that ... Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations," Price said. He said "we do have credible information" but he did not provide evidence.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has used the southern peninsula to train soldiers and reopen Soviet-era military bases as part of the invasion of its neighbour. Russia has denied using Iranian drones in Ukraine.

Also Read: Russia's men in Kherson city tell civilians to flee

Iran advised its citizens on Friday not to travel to Ukraine and urged Iranians already there to leave, semi-official news agencies reported, after the US accusaton. The Iranian foreign ministry advisory did not refer to the U.S. allegation. "Due to the military escalation in Ukraine, all Iranians are strongly advised to refrain from travelling to Ukraine. Also, Iranians living in Ukraine are advised to leave the country for their own safety," the ministry statement said.

Zelensky calls on the West

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to warn Russia not to blow up a huge dam that would flood a swath of southern Ukraine, as his forces prepare to push Moscow's troops from Kherson in one of the war's most important battles. In a television address, Zelensky said Russian forces had planted explosives inside the huge Nova Kakhovka dam, which holds back an enormous reservoir that dominates much of southern Ukraine, and were planning to blow it up to cover their retreat.

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