Kyiv charges Iranian general in absentia for aiding Russian drone strikes on Ukraine
In a significant development, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General have announced charges in absentia against Iranian General Sharifi Molasarei Abbas Musa for his involvement in coordinating drone attacks on Ukraine. According to the SBU press service, the general played a pivotal role in facilitating at least 20 airstrikes using Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukrainian targets, beginning in August 2022.
The SBU has compiled substantial evidence against General Abbas Musa, a brigadier general in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Investigations revealed that he directly assisted Russian occupational forces by training them and orchestrating the deployment of Iranian drones over Ukraine. Specifically, between August and September 2022, Iran delivered at least 1,500 combat drones, including "Shahed-136" and "Mohajer-6" models, to Russia. Furthermore, in 2022, Abbas Musa traveled to the temporarily occupied region of Crimea, accompanied by a team of Iranian UAV instructors.
General Abbas Musa traveled to the temporarily occupied Crimea in 2022, bringing with him a team of Iranian drone instructors. Under his supervision, Russian units received comprehensive training on how to effectively deploy these drones against Ukraine
Under his direction, specialized units of the Russian armed forces received rigorous training on these drones' combat applications at various Crimean ranges. Subsequently, Abbas Musa and his team of instructors coordinated the drone launches targeting Ukrainian civil infrastructure. In the months of September and October 2022 alone, the aggressors conducted over 20 major drone attacks on Ukrainian facilities.
Based on the amassed evidence, Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors have formally notified Sharifi Molasarei Abbas Musa in absentia of suspicions under several articles of Ukraine's Criminal Code: Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 437 (aiding and abetting aggressive warfare as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals); Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 (violations of the laws and customs of war, as stipulated by international treaties ratified by Ukraine).
Comprehensive efforts are ongoing to ensure accountability for the war crimes committed against the state of Ukraine.