A Polish state-owned company is under investigation for selling fuel pumps that were used to make Iranian drones deployed by Russia to carry out attacks on Ukraine, private broadcaster Radio ZET has reported.
In mid-September 2022, Ukrainian soldiers shot down an Iranian-made Shahed 136 combat drone sent by the Russians over Krupiansk in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.
The interest of Ukrainian services was piqued by one of the parts found in the wreckage of the downed machine, which, according to Radio ZET, has led back to Poland.
Polish investigative journalist Mariusz Gierszewski has reported that the part in question is a fuel pump. He claims that Iranian Shahed 136 drones used by Russia in the invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2022, were supplied with pumps manufactured by Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego (WSK) – Poznań, a company belonging to Poland’s Industrial Development Agency.
Iranian Shahed 136 attack drones are manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation and are used in the Russian army under the name Geran-2. Shaheds are equipped to carry a warhead weighing up to 20 kilograms.
The interest of Ukrainian services was piqued by one of the parts found in the wreckage of the downed machine, which, according to Radio ZET, has led back to Poland.
Polish investigative journalist Mariusz Gierszewski has reported that the part in question is a fuel pump. He claims that Iranian Shahed 136 drones used by Russia in the invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2022, were supplied with pumps manufactured by Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego (WSK) – Poznań, a company belonging to Poland’s Industrial Development Agency.
Iranian Shahed 136 attack drones are manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation and are used in the Russian army under the name Geran-2. Shaheds are equipped to carry a warhead weighing up to 20 kilograms.
They are used by the Russians in the war against Ukraine, mainly for attacks on civilian targets. The pumps that power Iranian combat drones are used for civilian purposes on a daily basis, typically in diesel engines.
WSK Poznań sold parts to the Iran Motorsazan Company, a manufacturer of agricultural tractors, Radio ZET reported. Fuel pumps were then sent to Iranian factories producing military drones, which were then purchased by Russia, according to the broadcaster.
The case is being probed by Poland’s Internal Security Agency.
In February 2023, investigators brought charges against “Renata S.,” the president of WSK Poznań.
She was charged with committing a crime under a law on “foreign trade in goods, technologies, and services of strategic importance for state security as well as for maintaining international peace and security,” Przemysław Nowak, a spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, told Radio ZET.
This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The investigation is ongoing and has been extended until September 30, 2024.
According to a report by the independent watchdog group Iran Watch, Iran’s drone industry is being driven by private companies.
“These are companies with significant human capital and technical expertise,” said a December 2023 report by the watchdog, titled “The Private Companies Propelling Iran’s Drone Industry.”
“Some have connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but for the most part their ownership and management appear to be private citizens. Their efforts have focused primarily on manufacturing components and offering research and development services. Some, but not all, have been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union,” the report said.
Polish Deputy Minister of State Assets Robert Kropiwnicki told Radio ZET: “This is an extremely harmful matter for us in the international arena, undermining our credibility.
“It is scandalous that it has come to the point where, on the one hand, we are fighting to protect Ukraine, and on the other hand, we were supplying parts to our opponents,” Kropiwnicki added.
WSK Poznań sold parts to the Iran Motorsazan Company, a manufacturer of agricultural tractors, Radio ZET reported. Fuel pumps were then sent to Iranian factories producing military drones, which were then purchased by Russia, according to the broadcaster.
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The case is being probed by Poland’s Internal Security Agency.
In February 2023, investigators brought charges against “Renata S.,” the president of WSK Poznań.
She was charged with committing a crime under a law on “foreign trade in goods, technologies, and services of strategic importance for state security as well as for maintaining international peace and security,” Przemysław Nowak, a spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, told Radio ZET.
This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The investigation is ongoing and has been extended until September 30, 2024.
Iranian perspective
According to a report by the independent watchdog group Iran Watch, Iran’s drone industry is being driven by private companies.
“These are companies with significant human capital and technical expertise,” said a December 2023 report by the watchdog, titled “The Private Companies Propelling Iran’s Drone Industry.”
“Some have connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but for the most part their ownership and management appear to be private citizens. Their efforts have focused primarily on manufacturing components and offering research and development services. Some, but not all, have been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union,” the report said.
Polish Deputy Minister of State Assets Robert Kropiwnicki told Radio ZET: “This is an extremely harmful matter for us in the international arena, undermining our credibility.
“It is scandalous that it has come to the point where, on the one hand, we are fighting to protect Ukraine, and on the other hand, we were supplying parts to our opponents,” Kropiwnicki added.
Source: Radio ZET
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