Iranian drone advisers who were helping Russia bombard Ukraine were killed in Crimea, Kyiv official says

Ukraine killed Iranians who were in Crimea to advise Russians on how to use Iranian-made drones.

Ukraine's top security official confirmed previous Israeli reports that Iranians had been killed.

Iran initially denied sending the drones to Russia, but later admitted to sending a small number before the war.

Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Ukraine killed Iranians who were advising Russians on how to pilot Iranian-made drones in Crimea, Ukraine's top security official confirmed, per a report.

"You shouldn't be where you shouldn't be," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council, said in an interview in Kyiv, according to The Guardian.

"They were on our territory. We didn't invite them here, and if they collaborate with terrorists and participate in the destruction of our nation we must kill them."

Danilov said that the Iranians were in occupied Crimea to help Russians operate the Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones.

The White House said in October that Iran had sent advisers to Crimea to provide drone training and maintenance to Russian pilots.

Iran initially denied having supplied Russia with drones, which are often called "kamikaze" or "suicide" drones because they detonate on impact.

Ukraine claimed that Russia has used the drones to strike infrastructure targets and power stations across the country.

Despite public denials, a Russian defense official was caught on a hot mic in October admitting that it was an open secret that the Kremlin had in fact imported Iranian drones.

Iran has since admitted to sending a "small number" of drones to Russia, but claimed it did so months before the war in Ukraine began.

Ukraine has cast doubt on Iran's claims, and the military has claimed it has evidence to suggest some of the drones were supplied after Moscow's invasion in February.

Danilov's comments confirm previous reports in the Israeli press from October which said that 10 Iranian advisers have been killed through Ukrainian strikes on Crimea. Danilov confirmed that there had been casualties, but did not say how many.

"The Iranians keep insisting that they are not suppliers of weapons to the Russian Federation but we need confirmation. Do we have this confirmation as of today? No we don't." Danilov said.

"We understand these things don't fly without [people] learning how to operate them, and the Russians don't have the brains to figure it out themselves."

The UK and the EU have announced sanctions on Iran for providing Russia with the Shahed-136 drones.