Iran probably supplies Russia with “Shahed” through the Caspian Sea

Iran may supply Russia with some military aid, including Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones, via the Caspian Sea.

It is through the Caspian Sea that Iran can transfer to Russia a significant share of drones and other weapons for the war in Ukraine. This is stated in the material of CNN, which spoke to experts tracking the movement of ships.

Data on the movement of cargo ships indicate that in the Caspian, vessels are increasingly turning off the AIS automatic identification system. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, the number of vessels hiding their voyage information has increased significantly in the Caspian Sea since September. For the most part, these are vessels flying the flags of the Russian Federation and Iran, which, according to their technical characteristics, are suitable for the transportation of military goods.

Most often, vessels in the Caspian Sea turn off AIS near the Iranian ports of Amirabad and Anzali, as well as on the Russian Volga and near the port of Astrakhan.

CNN tracked 6 Russian-flagged and two Iranian-flagged vessels using MarineTraffic data. The movement of ships seemed suspicious to journalists: they could go from the ports of Iran to Astrakhan, but not make an official entry into the port there. Some vessels turn off AIS on the approach to Amirabad and Astrakhan, or otherwise move for a long time with transponders turned off.

Analysts believe that, although Iran could send some of the “Shahed” to the Russian Federation by plane, the sea route is much more profitable, because it allows transporting a much larger cargo in one flight.