The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday denied accusations from the European Council (EC) that Tehran has been assisting Russia with its invasion of Ukraine.
After discussions with Ukraine on Friday, the EC produced a statement condemning “third countries, actors, and entities therein” for supporting Russia’s war, specifically including “military support provided by Iran, Belarus, and the DPRK (North Korea).”
“The European Council urges all countries to immediately cease any assistance to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, whether direct or indirect, notably through the provision of dual-use goods or components,” the statement said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected the EC’s accusations, insisting Tehran would like to see the Ukraine conflict resolved through “dialogue.”
Baqaei said Tehran maintains economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow that are separate from the Ukraine conflict. He accused the European Council of hypocrisy for openly supporting Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.
“Iran–Russia relations are based on mutual respect and shared interests, and these relations are not directed against any third country,” he said.
Ukraine has long demanded sanctions against Iran for “helping Russia in its terror against Ukrainians,” specifically by providing Russia with “surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.”
Beginning early in the war, the European Union imposed sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities for supplying Russia with drones, especially the Shahed series of kamikaze drones, which Russia later began producing under its own brand names.
The EU has also imposed sanctions against Iranian companies and individuals for transferring missiles to Russia. According to U.S. intelligence, Iran has provided hundreds of close and short-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs and SRBMs) to the Russian war machine, along with training in how to use them.
In early December, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported that mysterious flyers had begun appearing in Tehran, offering lucrative employment — including $20,000 signing bonuses — for Ukrainian men who were willing to fight for Russia on the battlefields of Ukraine.
According to the flyers, the Russian Defense Ministry was seeking recruits for soldiers, drone operators, and drivers. Most of the jobs specified male recruits, but some positions were also available for women.
RFE used the WhatsApp contact information provided in the flyer, and exchanged text messages with an unnamed “simple admin” who claimed the flyers were part of an official Russian recruiting campaign that had been cleared with Iranian officials.
The recruitment program has a channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram with over 2,000 subscribers. The channel includes messages, purportedly from the Russian Defense Ministry, welcoming “foreign citizens ready to sign a contract and serve with honor,” even if they cannot speak Russian.
The Russian Embassy in Tehran claimed the flyers were “forged and criminal in nature.” Some observers compared the flyers to alleged Russian mercenary recruiting schemes in countries such as India, Cuba, Kenya, and South Africa.
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