New Delhi: Russia has providedIran with satellite intelligence and cyber assistance to help refine attacks on the US and allied targets in the Middle East,
according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.
The findings suggest that Russian satellites carried out a series of detailed surveillance operations across the region in late March. They mapped military bases, airports and key energy infrastructure, and the report further reveals that dozens of such sites across multiple countries in the Middle East were monitored. Many of these sites were later targeted in Iranian missile and drone strikes, indicating what Ukrainian officials describe as a pattern of coordinated planning.
A concentrated attack
The report also points to a deeper level of cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, including what is believed to be a dedicated communication channel enabling the transfer of intelligence. Some assessments indicate that Russian personnel may have been involved in facilitating this exchange on the ground in Iran.
Alongside satellite support, the intelligence review also highlights expanding cyber collaboration between Russian and Iranian hacker groups. These groups are said to have worked together to target critical infrastructure in countries such as Israel and several Gulf states. To facilitate this, they reportedly often relied on shared tools, techniques and even Russian-based digital infrastructure.
One notable instance cited in the assessment involves surveillance imagery of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base shortly before it was struck, damaging a US E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft.
While the claims have not been independently verified by Reuters, they add to growing evidence of increasingly close military and strategic ties between Russia and Iran, particularly since the two countries formalised a broader partnership agreement last year.
