How does Russia help Iran in the war, specifically? Ukrainian espionage penetrated the wire and reveals the extent of the support

Russian satellites have taken dozens of detailed aerial photos of military facilities and critical targets in the Middle East to help Iran strike US forces and other targets, an assessment by Ukrainian intelligence services shows, Reuters wrote on Tuesday.

The assessment's findings, analyzed by the international news agency, also highlight that Russian and Iranian hackers are collaborating in the cyber field. The information is the most detailed account yet of how Russia has been providing covert support to Iran since Israel and the US launched their joint strike on February 28.

Russian satellites, according to the undated Ukrainian intelligence report, conducted at least 24 sweeps of areas in 11 Middle Eastern countries between March 21 and 31, covering 46 “targets,” including U.S. and other countries' military bases, as well as airports and oil fields.

Within days of being spied on by satellite, military bases and headquarters were targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, the report says, in what the document describes as a clear pattern.

A Western military source and a regional security source told Reuters their intelligence also indicated heavy Russian satellite activity in the region and said the images obtained were shared with Iran.

Nine surveillance missions covered parts of Saudi Arabia, including five over the military town of King Khalid near Hafar Al-Batin, in an apparent attempt to locate elements of the US-made THAAD air defense system, the assessment by Ukrainian intelligence said.

Areas in Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were also monitored by satellite twice, while locations in Israel, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and the Diego Garcia Naval Base were spied on only once, the report said.

In an emerging trend, the assessment adds, Russian satellites have been actively monitoring the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for a fifth of global oil and LNG (liquefied natural gas) flows, where Iran has imposed a de facto blockade on all but “non-hostile” ships.

Permanent channel of communication

A White House spokeswoman, Olivia Wales, said that no foreign support given to Tehran by any country affects the operational success of the United States in airstrikes against Iran. Iran's foreign ministry had no immediate comment. The Defense Ministry of Russia, which invaded Ukraine four years ago, did not respond to a request for comment.

European leaders pressed US foreign policy chief Marco Rubio on the issue last month at a G7 meeting. Two diplomats said Rubio did not respond, although he has publicly described Russian aid to Iran as insignificant.

The Ukrainian assessment also reveals that the exchange of satellite images was organized through a permanent communications channel used by Russia and Iran, and that the information exchange may also be facilitated by Russian military spies stationed in Tehran.

The regional security source confirmed a specific incident detailed in the Ukrainian assessment, which was disclosed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.

In that incident, a Russian satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia days before Iran bombed the facility on March 27, hitting a sophisticated U.S. military E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, the assessment also said.

A Russian satellite flew over the same site on March 28 to assess the impact of the attack, according to the Ukrainian intelligence document.

Strategic partnership

Russia and Iran have deepened their military ties since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In particular, Kiev and the West say Iran supplied Russia with long-range Shahed attack drones, which the Russian military used to bomb Ukraine, while Moscow is developing its own more sophisticated variants of the drone. Iran denies supplying weapons used against Ukraine.

Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian then signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty last January.

Article 4 of the treaty states that “in order to strengthen national security and combat common threats, the intelligence and security services of the signatory parties shall exchange information and experience.”

Hacker groups

The Ukrainian intelligence assessment and regional security source said Russia appears to be providing cyber assistance to Iran as well.

Hacking groups controlled by Iran have stepped up their operations since late February, mainly targeting critical infrastructure and telecommunications companies in the Gulf, they said.

The Ukrainian assessment also shows that Russian and Iranian hacker groups interact via the Telegram messaging app and notes the collaboration between the Russian groups “Z-Pentest Alliance”, “NoName057(16)” and “DDoSia Project” and the Iranian group “Handala Hack”.

For example, last month, it is reported that groups such as Handala Hack published a warning on Telegram about attacks on the information and communication systems of Israeli energy companies.

Russian hacking groups simultaneously published credentials for control systems of critical infrastructure in Israel, the report said.

Iranian hacking groups also used certain techniques in operations that indicate they obtained them from Russian military intelligence hackers, according to the same source.

For example, the report states that Iranian hacker groups “Homeland Justice” (UAC-0074) and “Karmabelow80” used ProfitServer, a Russian VPS provider in Chelyabinsk, to register domains.