Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Monday that Ukraine had captured a Russian position using an entirely unmanned robot ground force.

"For the first time in the history of this war, Ukrainian warriors captured an enemy position using exclusively unmanned platforms," he said during a speech to weapons manufacturers on Ukraine's Arms Makers' Day.

"The future is here, on the battlefield, and Ukraine is creating it," he said in a video posted to X by a Ukrainian journalist.

The offensive, which took place in an unspecified location, was operated through drones and a grid-based robotic system (GRS) platform, an unmanned defense system.

ZELENSKYY OFFERS CUTTING-EDGE DRONE DEFENSE TO GULF ALLIES AS UKRAINE SEEKS MISSILE SUPPORT

Zelenskyy claimed that such autonomous systems have participated in over 22,000 frontline missions in just three months.

Machines used included the TerMIT, a multifunctional ground robotic system designed to lay mines, and provide fire support; the Zmiy, a next-generation armored robotic platform developed for cargo transport; and the Protector, a heavy unmanned ground system.

Zelenskyy also touted his country's use of drones, an integral cog in Ukraine's war plan.

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"Our missiles, our unmanned systems, our interceptors, attack and naval drones, reconnaissance systems, artillery, our ammunition, armored vehicles, robotic platforms, and much more. All that today is truly proudly called – the weapons of Ukraine," the president added.

"They defend our skies, our cities and villages, save lives, and prove that 'Made in Ukraine' is synonymous with effectiveness and strength," he concluded.

Experts and commentators pointed to the growing use of unmanned technology as a turning point in the way wars are fought.

"So, if this starts happening at scale - which is the logical conclusion - would this change the nature, rather than the character, of war folks?" Dr. Patrick Bury, a senior professor of warfare and counter-terrorism at the University of Bath, wrote on X.

"I’m not sure the world is fully ready for when ground invasions can be accomplished by Black Mirror robot dogs," wrote Mike Benz, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. State Department. "'Boots on the ground' will no longer carry the political risk of sending 'our boys' out to fight. The temptation for robot-only ground invasions could be… enormous," he finished.

Benz reference to robot dogs highlights Ukraine's previous use of autonomous dog-like drones in their ongoing war with Russia.

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of hundreds of attacks Sunday, casting doubt on a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire that appeared to be unraveling less than a day after it began.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter holiday, ordering forces to halt fighting from Saturday afternoon through the end of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to honor the pause but warned Kyiv would respond quickly to any violations.

The holiday ceasefire, however, appeared to be short-lived.

Ukraine’s military said it had logged 2,299 ceasefire violations by early Sunday morning, including assaults, shelling and small drone activity, though it noted no use of long-range drones, missiles or guided bombs.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI

A Ukrainian officer told The Associated Press that Russian troops continued attacking positions despite the declared truce.

Russia’s Defense Ministry fired back, accusing Ukrainian forces of 1,971 violations, including drone strikes in the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod that allegedly injured civilians.

The head of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday that the bodies of two civilians have been recovered following an alleged Ukrainian attack on Saturday.

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The dueling claims highlight the deep mistrust between the two sides and underscore the difficulty of enforcing even temporary pauses in fighting.

Past ceasefire attempts have collapsed quickly, with both nations routinely blaming each other. A similar truce declared by Putin last Easter also unraveled amid accusations of violations from both sides.

Irena Bulhakova told The Associated Press at a holiday gathering outside Kyiv that she had her doubts about any ceasefires as Russia’s four-year war on Ukraine drags on.

"Every time a ceasefire is announced for a holiday, the shelling continues regardless," she said.

Reflecting on the meaning of the Orthodox Easter holiday, she added: "Good triumphs over darkness, and we hope for that very much."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

With Iran increasingly isolated among its Gulf neighbors, recent reports say Tehran has been deepening its ties in the South Caucasus with the Republic of Georgia.

The former Soviet republic, which was until recently seen as an aspiring European Union and potential NATO member candidate, has slowly moved closer to Tehran.

"Iran has built a vast influence infrastructure in Georgia, which includes entities sanctioned by the U.S. government for links to extremism and viewed in Washington as fronts for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," Giorgi Kandelaki, former member of the Georgian Parliament, told Fox News Digital. 

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Kandelaki, co-author of a recent report with the Hudson Institute titled Georgia’s Iranian Turn: Tehran’s Rapid Expansion of Influence in a Once-Committed U.S. Ally, said that Tbilisi’s turn toward Iran is bad for Georgians but also bad for U.S. interests in the region.

"Georgia has an overwhelmingly pro-U.S. public opinion committed to Western values with it also being viewed as a traditional U.S. ally in Washington. This reality presents a terrible precedent and reversing this trajectory is in the interest of both the U.S. but also Georgian society," he added.

While Georgia has remained diplomatically neutral, the Hudson report details the budding ties between the two countries and how Iran uses Georgia as a network for intelligence infrastructure, penetrating Georgia’s religious, educational and cultural institutions to impact society.

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As far back as 2007, Iran opened the Georgian branch of Al-Mustafa University, which is considered one of Iran’s main arms for the dissemination of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's ideology abroad, according to United Against a Nuclear Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department stated in 2020 that Iran’s IRGC-Quds Force uses Al-Mustafa University in Georgia as an international recruitment network for Iran and acts as a conduit for the Islamic Republic’s ideological and security interests.

"Al-Mustafa has facilitated unwitting tourists from Western countries to come to Iran, from whom IRGC-Qud's Force members sought to collect intelligence," the Treasury Department said. It also said that the university facilitated student exchanges with foreign universities to develop intelligence sources.

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GEORGIAN DEMONSTRATORS WATCH IRAN CLOSELY AS THEIR OWN PROTESTS GRIND ON

A report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimated the university’s annual budget is $100 million and has trained tens of thousands of emissaries across the world who spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

Iran has utilized sympathetic Georgians to commit international crimes to advance its domestic agenda.

While no links have ever been made with the Tbilisi government, a Georgian national, Agil Aslanov, who had ties to organized crime, was reportedly recruited by the Quds Forces to assassinate a prominent Jewish leader in Azerbaijan in 2022. In another case in 2025, Georgian national Polad Omarov was indicted in federal court in New York City and sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to assassinate prominent Iranian activist Masih Alinejad, a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic’s use of violence against peaceful protesters.

Georgia once made significant inroads to foster political and security ties with the United States following the Rose Revolution in 2003, becoming a bedrock of regional security in the Black Sea region. After decades of Soviet rule, Georgia aligned itself with the United States, contributing to missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and eventually signed a Strategic Partnership Charter with the United States in 2009.

Tbilisi's ties with Tehran have been expanded under the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party that took power in 2012. That bond, according to analysts, has tightened after Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili finished her six-year term in office in 2024 and was replaced by Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was chosen as her successor by a newly established electoral college reportedly dominated by Georgian Dream supporters.

INSIDE IRAN’S MILITARY: MISSILES, MILITIAS AND A FORCE BUILT FOR SURVIVAL

Kavelashvili’s installment followed parliamentary elections in Oct. 2024 marred by some irregularities, according to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi, in which the Georgian Dream declared victory. 

Leadership ties between both countries have steadily grown since the Georgian Dream's disputed 2024 parliamentary victory.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited Iran in May 2024 for the funeral of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter accident, and again in July to attend the inauguration of Iran’s current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, where Iranian news agencies reported both leaders praised the growing relationship between the two countries.

WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IRAN RIGHT NOW? THE KEY POWER PLAYERS AS TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS TO 'TOP' OFFICIAL

Many Georgian companies are also importing oil and petroleum products from Iran, a key economic lifeline for the regime and its regional war efforts, according to Georgian NGO Civic IDEA. In 2024, Iranian oil export revenue was approximately $43 billion, which accounts for roughly 57% of Iran’s total export revenue.

According to Civic IDEA, between 2022 and 2025, 72 companies registered in Georgia imported Iranian oil and petroleum, including eight inked to donors of the ruling Georgian Dream party, boosting Iran’s revenue stream even while heavily sanctioned by Western nations.

"Georgia has become Iran’s primary sanctions-evasion hub . . . funneling hard currency back to Tehran’s war machine and the IRGC through specific schemes in oil imports," Nicholas Chkhaidze, national security and strategic communications analyst based in Tbilisi, told Fox News Digital.

Chkhaidze said these Georgian companies that import Iranian oil pay in cash and can bypass international banking sanctions. 

"The scale is massive, as Tehran uses the revenue from these schemes to fund its regional operations," Chkhaidze claimed.

Telephone and email requests for comment sent to the government of Georgia were not returned. A spokesman for Iran's mission to the United Nations would not comment on the relations between the two countries.

U.K. Defense Minister John Healey warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of "serious consequences" Thursday after revealing a weeks-long military operation to deter Russian meddling in the North Sea.

"To President Putin I say we see you, we see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences," he cautioned. 

The defense minister detailed an operation involving a Royal Navy frigate, a Royal Air Force patrol plane and hundreds of personnel deployed to deter a trio of Russian submarines that were detected near underwater cables in Britain’s economic exclusionary zone.

RUSSIA, CHINA VETO UN RESOLUTION AIMED AT REOPENING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP DEADLINE

One of the submarines, Healey announced, was a nuclear-powered Akula-class submarine, while the other two were spy submarines from Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, also known as GUGI. Subs from this unit were directed specifically by Putin "to conduct hybrid warfare activities against the UK" and its allies, Healey said.

At least one of those allies, Norway, was involved in the deterrent operation, Healey revealed. Norway’s Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik confirmed the cooperation in a Thursday statement. 

"Norway has participated in a coordinated military operation with our allies to send a clear message: covert activities in our waters will not be tolerated," Sandvik wrote.

The submarines left U.K. waters after a protracted period of monitoring from the U.K. and Norway, and there is no evidence of damage to any underwater infrastructure, Healey said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.K.’s Defense Department for more information. 

The Russian incursion marked the second time in less than six months that the U.K. detected Russian seacraft near its territorial waters. Healey announced a similar military operation in November after Russia deployed the spy ship Yantar to the North Sea in 2025.

TRUMP, STARMER AGREE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MUST REOPEN AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT ESCALATES

Healey also cited this year’s incident as an example of why the U.K. hasn’t sent troops to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf key to global energy markets that Iran has choked off in recent weeks.

"I understand people questioning why all UK military assets and personnel have not been deployed to deal with it. But that is not in Britain’s national interest," he said, later calling Russia "the primary threat to the UK and to NATO." 

President Donald Trump has criticized NATO allies and the organization itself for not acceding to requests to help open the Strait of Hormuz. 

"NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN," he wrote in a Thursday morning Truth Social post.

The U.K., while holding a planning meeting on how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran War is over, initially refused to let the U.S. use a British air base to launch military strikes against Iran. 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer eventually allowed the U.S. to launch "defensive strikes" from Royal Air Force bases after Trump slammed him as "not Winston Churchill."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday touted new momentum toward ending the country's war with Russia after a high-level call with President Donald Trump’s envoys, pointing to progress on a U.S.-backed security deal.

Zelenskyy announced in an X post that he and his officials had a "positive" conversation with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with talks centered around forging a "dignified peace."

"We agreed to strengthen security guarantees, and I have already instructed our team to promptly update the documents so that the security guarantees for Ukraine are strong, the prospects for post-war reconstruction are real, and everything is doable," Zelenskyy wrote.

WITKOFF AND KUSHNER SCHEDULED TO MEET PUTIN IN MOSCOW

He emphasized Ukraine needs clear agreements so that its citizens understand exactly how international partners will respond to deter any renewed Russian aggression.

"We need strong, shared positions, and Ukraine’s contribution to this strength is unquestionable," Zelenskyy wrote. "… I expect that the teams will work substantively in the coming days so that we can all feel progress. A trilateral format — a leaders’ format — all of this is necessary."

TRUMP CONFIRMS HE INVITED PUTIN TO JOIN HIS BOARD OF PEACE: 'HE'S BEEN INVITED'

In a subsequent video, Zelenskyy reported Russia launched a massive wave of more than 700 drones Wednesday, including "shaheds," targeting Ukraine's energy sites, food warehouses and residential buildings across multiple regions.

Although Ukrainian forces intercepted roughly 90% of the incoming drones, Zelenskyy condemned the bombardment as Russia's direct response to Ukraine's proposal for an Easter ceasefire.

He noted that a halt in fighting during the holidays was intended to be a signal that diplomacy could be successful.

Beyond the U.S. and Europe, Zelenskyy said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is working to secure long-term defense contracts with several Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain and Turkey. 

A Russian military plane crash in annexed Crimea has killed six crew and 23 passengers, Russian news agencies reported in the early hours of Wednesday, citing the Defense Ministry.

The An-26 military transport plane was carrying out a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the reports said. The military lost contact with the plane around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

PLANE CRASH IN RUSSIA'S FAR EAST LEAVES 48 DEAD

The Soviet-designed military transport turboprop aircraft crashed into a cliff, sources at the scene told state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti.

Russia's Investigative Committee said a total of seven crew members and 23 passengers were on board. It wasn't immediately clear from official statements if one crew member had survived.

TRUMP SAYS 'INFLAMMATORY' ZELENSKYY STATEMENT ON CRIMEA PROLONGS WAR WITH RUSSIA

The Investigative Committee said it has launched a criminal probe in connection with flight regulations and a search is underway in a mountainous forested area in the Bakhchisarai district.

The Interfax news agency cited the Defense Ministry as saying a suspected technical malfunction may have caused the crash and that there was no "damaging interference" with the aircraft.

Accidents involving Russian military planes have been frequent since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine.

In December, an An-22 military transport plane crashed in Russia's Ivanovo region, killing seven crew. In October, a MiG-31 fighter jet crashed in the Lipetsk region, while a Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in the Siberian region of Irkutsk in April 2025.

In October 2022, a Su-34 bomber crashed into a residential area of Yeysk, a Russian city on the Azov sea, sparking a massive fire and killing 15 people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian reconnaissance satellites have recently imaged key U.S. and allied military facilities across the Middle East, raising concerns about potential targeting, after returning from a high-stakes trip to Gulf countries now under Iranian attack.

Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Ukraine deepens its role in the region, sharing intelligence and defense expertise with Middle Eastern partners facing Iranian missile and drone strikes.

In a March 28 post on X, Zelenskyy said he had been briefed that Russian satellites photographed multiple strategic sites "in the interests of Iran," including bases and critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf.

"Everyone knows that repeated reconnaissance indicates preparations for strikes," he wrote.

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According to Zelenskyy, the surveillance occurred over several days in late March. On March 24, Russian satellites reportedly captured imagery of the U.S.-U.K. military facility on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The following days included Kuwait International Airport and parts of the Greater Burgan oil field, as well as Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Additional sites imaged on March 26 included Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oil and gas field, Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the largest U.S. military installations in the region.

Some of the locations identified by Zelenskyy, including places in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, have been targeted in recent Iranian attacks, though it remains unclear whether the satellite imagery he described was directly used in those operations.

The warning follows Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, where he discussed security cooperation and shared intelligence with regional leaders.

In an interview published Monday by Axios, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had provided Middle Eastern partners with information about Russian support for Iran, including potential targeting assistance.

"I think Russia is supporting Iran directly, 100%," Zelenskyy told Axios. "The same format of sharing satellite images like they did in the case of Ukraine."

TRUMP’S STRIKE ON IRAN DEALS A MAJOR BLOW TO PUTIN’S WAR MACHINE IN UKRAINE

Ksenia Svetlova, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said recent developments point to increased cooperation in that space. "There is more cooperation in everything that has to do with intelligence," she said, citing reports that Russia has provided Iran with "a target list, basically, through their satellites, American targets, but also air targets in the Gulf."

Svetlova added that such support enables Russia to assist Iran without deploying troops or equipment.

"They are doing for the Iranians whatever they can without spending money, spending troops, or spending equipment," she said.

The White House has not confirmed the intelligence-sharing but said it is not impacting U.S. operations.

"Nothing provided to Iran by any other country is affecting our operational success. The United States military has struck more than 11,000 targets and destroyed more than 150 Iranian naval vessels, leading to their missile attacks and drone attacks decreasing by 90%. The terrorist Iranian regime continues to be crushed by the full might of the most lethal fighting force in the world," White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also downplayed concerns about Russia’s role, telling reporters Friday: "There is nothing Russia is doing for Iran that is in any way impeding or affecting our operation or the effectiveness of it."

IRAN BACKLASH FORCES GULF ALLIES TOWARD WASHINGTON AS REGIONAL TENSIONS RISE

Lt. Gen. Richard Newton (Ret.), a former U.S. Air Force assistant vice chief of staff, said the reports should not come as a surprise.

"The latest reports that Russia provided essential imaging intelligence to the Iranian regime to target a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia should surprise no one. Putin is our adversary who can't be trusted."

"We should avoid a direct conflict with Moscow," he added, "but there must be consequences for Russia aiding and abetting the Iranian regime that harms American military personnel and our assets."

Russia has not publicly responded to Zelenskyy’s claims. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian government and the Iranian mission to the United Nations for comment and did not receive responses in time for publication.

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former senior State Department official, told Fox News Digital the reports reflect a broader and growing threat.

"There is no clearer signal that Russia is a dangerous adversary than the continued reporting that Russia is providing intelligence targeting Americans to a regime currently engaged in combat against the United States," Filipetti said.

"American service members' lives are at continued risk because of Putin's war machine," she added, warning that Washington must act to "hold the Russian regime accountable and prevent future American deaths."

Zelenskyy has also questioned ongoing discussions about easing sanctions on Russia.

"There must be pressure on the aggressor. And lifting sanctions is certainly not pressure," he wrote.

The U.S. government will allow a Russian tanker full of crude oil to reach Cuba, effectively easing a blockade that has pushed the island into an energy crisis, according to a report.

The Russian-flagged tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, was headed for Cuba on Sunday, carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of oil, The New York Times reported, citing a U.S. official who had been briefed on the matter.

The tanker Anatoly ⁠Kolodkin was just off the eastern tip of Cuba on Sunday, ship tracking data showed.

"We have a tanker out there. We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload, because they need … they have to survive," President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday when asked about the report.

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"If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not," he added.

Trump had sought to restrict oil shipments to Cuba in an effort to pressure its government.

The U.S. government has temporarily eased some sanctions on Russian oil shipments to help stabilize global energy markets amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran that began last month.

CUBAN OFFICIAL REVEALS MILITARY 'PREPARING' FOR CONFLICT AFTER TRUMP CONSIDERS 'TAKING' ISLAND

The Anatoly Kolodkin, which departed from Primorsk, Russia, could soon dock at the Matanzas port in Cuba if it remains on its current path, according to tracking services MarineTraffic and LSEG.

The oil would provide significant relief to Cuba, where President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said fuel shortages have persisted for months, forcing strict gas rationing and deepening the island’s energy crisis.

The U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January stripped a key Cuban ally who had been providing oil to the island on favorable terms.

The Trump administration then blocked all Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and vowed to impose punitive tariffs on any third country that supplied shipments to the island, forcing Mexico to stop its exports to Cuba.

Another ship, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, was also carrying about 200,000 barrels of Russian fuel to Cuba, but was rerouted to Venezuela.

"Wake up before 6 a.m. to the Russian winter. Walk to the construction site as a group. Work from 7 a.m. until 10, 11 p.m., sometimes even midnight. Without breaks. There is no set end time. You finish when the target is met. Rain, snow, it does not matter. We worked with no gloves, no heating, no protective equipment. My hands cracked so badly I could not grip the tools. But you do not stop."

This was the reality for "RT," identified by his initials to protect his identity, a former reported victim of North Korea's overseas forced labor, who described his experience to Fox News Digital. 

The man was one of the 100,000 workers sent overseas under North Korea’s state-sponsored labor program.

AS WAR LOSSES NEAR 2 MILLION, RUSSIA ACCUSED OF TRAFFICKING FOREIGN RECRUITS FROM AFRICA, ASIA

"I was told I could earn money," he claimed to Fox News Digital. "That was all. Nobody mentioned a quota. Nobody told me that most of what I earn would be taken. I thought if I went to Russia and worked hard, I could save enough to build a better life for my family. When I arrived, I realized none of that was true. The money was not mine. It was never going to be mine."

A new report published by the international human rights organization Global Rights Compliance shares firsthand testimonies from North Koreans working in Russia.

The report found that Russian companies are employing North Korean workers in violation of United Nations sanctions, often obscuring their identities so laborers do not even know who they are working for. U.N. Security Council resolutions require member states to repatriate North Korean workers, making their continued presence in Russia a potential breach of international sanctions.

The findings offer one of the clearest pictures yet of how North Korea is allegedly sustaining its regime under sanctions: exporting its citizens as labor, extracting their wages, and maintaining total control even beyond its borders.

Global Rights Compliance North Korea advisor Yeji Kim told Fox News Digital, "Every North Korean worker deployed abroad must pay a mandatory monthly sum to the state, known as the gukga gyehoekbun. As one worker told us, it must be paid ‘no matter what, dead or alive.’"

A typical worker earns roughly $800 a month for up to 420 hours of labor. From that, between $600 and $850 is deducted for the quota, along with additional payments for travel debt and communal living expenses, Kim said. 

What remains is approximately $10. If workers fall short, the deficit carries forward, leaving some in debt for an entire year, according to Kim. 

One worker described the quota as a "lump on his back" that dictated every aspect of his life abroad.

SHE HELPED NORTH KOREA INFILTRATE AMERICAN TECH COMPANIES

"Every month you must pay," RT claimed. "There is no negotiation. If you fall short, the debt carries forward to the next month. We were told, ‘The quota must be met by any means necessary, even if it meant paying out of their own pocket.’ You came to earn and you leave with nothing. And if you fail too many times, they send you home. Home does not mean relief. It means blacklisting, interrogation and sometimes your family paying the price."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations for comment and did not receive a response in time for publication.

The report identified what it said are all 11 International Labour Organization indicators of forced labor across 21 testimonies from workers in three Russian cities who did not know each other. These include debt bondage, restriction of movement, withholding of wages, excessive overtime, physical violence, surveillance, deception, isolation, abuse of vulnerability and abusive conditions.

Upon arrival in Russia, passports are immediately confiscated and retained by North Korean security officials, according to the report. 

NORTH KOREA EXECUTED TEENS FOR LISTENING TO K-POP, WATCHING ‘SQUID GAME’: REPORT

"My passport was taken the day I arrived," RT said. "I never held it again. I could not leave the worksite freely. The city was right there, beyond the fence, but we were sealed off from it. A few times a year, we were allowed out, but only in groups, heads counted, with a fixed time to return."

Physical violence was reported in several cases, including one instance in which a worker was beaten so severely he could not work for two weeks. Surveillance onsite was described as constant, with collective punishment used to force workers to monitor one another.

Workers described living in overcrowded containers infested with cockroaches and bedbugs, with access to only one or two showers per year and in some cases just a single day off annually. 

One worker told investigators they were forced to "lead lives worse than cattle."

When asked how central the program is to North Korea’s economy, Kim said: "The U.N. Panel of Experts estimates approximately $500 million annually from the labor program alone. For a country under the most comprehensive sanctions regime in U.N. history, that is a critical revenue stream. It sustains the political elite, funds internal patronage networks and underwrites military ambitions, including nuclear development."

The findings come as North Korea also is reported to have supplied weapons and troops worth as much as $14 billion to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The report’s authors warn that host countries play a critical role in enabling the system by allowing it to operate within their borders.

The people who made it into the report are among the few who managed to escape the system. RT said he now feels an obligation to speak out.

"We are people just like you but working like a cow," he said. "We have families. We left home because we wanted to give our children something better, and what we found was a system that took everything from us."

He said thousands remain trapped.

"I want people to know that right now, today, there are men on construction sites in Russia working 16 hours a day, sleeping in containers, earning nothing, with no way to call home and no way to leave. Their names are not in any report. Nobody knows they are there. But they are there. And if I could say one thing to them, it would be — the world is starting to listen. Please hold on."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning battlefield innovation into bargaining power, offering Ukraine's anti-drone systems to Middle Eastern allies, while seeking more air-defense support as the war with Russia drags into its fourth year.

Zelenskyy met Friday in Abu Dhabi with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the two discussed an agreement by which Ukraine would provide its cutting-edge counter-drone technology in exchange for ballistic missile support and financial aid.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News after the meeting, Zelenskyy detailed how Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, namely its anti-Russian drone systems, are influencing defense partnerships worldwide.

ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR 'REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR

"We have, for example, drone interceptors. We have [a] system of electronic warfare and a lot of things. All these jointly work in one system. This is what we have [that] nobody has," Zelenskyy told Fox News correspondent Matt Finn in Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine is now sharing elements of that system with at least four Persian Gulf nations — the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — as they confront growing threats from Iran’s drone capabilities.

But Zelenskyy emphasized the partnership must be reciprocal. Ukraine continues to face a "big deficit" of critical air defense weapons, particularly PAC-3 Patriot missiles used to intercept ballistic threats.

"We are ready to help Middle East countries with our expertise and with our knowledge, and we hope … that they can help with anti-ballistic missiles," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has already signed 10-year defense agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with a similar deal with the UAE expected soon, according to the AP.

TRUMP MEETS WITH ZELENSKYY; TALKS COULD UNLOCK FIRST ZELENSKYY-PUTIN CALL IN FIVE YEARS: SOURCE

Zelenskyy also warned that increasing U.S. military focus on the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran and the ongoing "Operation Epic Fury" could slow the flow of weapons to Ukraine.

He claimed Russia is already strengthening Iran’s military by sharing drone technology, including Shahed "kamikaze" drones, as well as battlefield tactics developed during the war.

"Russia will share all they know about this war. … They’re already sharing with Iranians," Zelenskyy said. 

While he stopped short of confirming missile transfers, Zelenskyy suggested Moscow has a strategic interest in prolonging instability in the Middle East to divert U.S. attention away from Ukraine.

"This is what they do," Zelenskyy said.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not cede territory in the contested Donbas region, arguing it would weaken defenses, damage troop morale and displace tens of thousands of civilians.

"I think their morale will decrease," Zelenskyy said.

He also urged the Trump administration not to lose sight of Ukraine while addressing Middle East tensions.

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More than 270 Russian drones struck Ukraine overnight Friday, leaving at least five people dead, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, according to AP.

"I hope that President Trump … will find a way to end this war with pressure on the Iranian regime, and I hope that also they will not forget about … the war of Russia against Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Russian man convicted of assaulting a woman in London in an attack witnessed by Barron Trump, President Donald Trump’s youngest son, on a video call was sentenced to four years in prison by a London court on Friday. 

Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, an MMA fighter, was convicted by a jury on Jan. 28 of assault with bodily harm but was acquitted of rape and choking charges. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice stemming from a letter he sent the woman from jail asking her to retract her allegations.

After the assault, Rumiantsev admitted he was jealous of his girlfriend's friendship with the 19-year-old son of President Donald Trump.

BARRON TRUMP REPORTEDLY SAVED WOMAN'S LIFE AFTER WITNESSING VIOLENT ASSAULT ON FACETIME CALL

"Your lack of insight and empathy was apparent at trial," Justice Joel Bennathan said. "You continue to try to blame the complainant for everything that has happened."

Trump told investigators he had placed a late-night FaceTime call to the woman, whom he had met on social media, and had been startled when the call had been briefly answered by a shirtless man on Jan. 18, 2025.

"That view lasted maybe one second and I was racing with adrenaline," Barron Trump said. "The camera was then flipped to the victim getting hit while crying, stating something in Russian."

BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION

Barron Trump called the police in London.

"It’s really an emergency … I’m calling from the U.S., uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up," he told an operator. 

Police responded to the address and arrested Rumiantsev, a London-based receptionist.

At his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Rumiantsev was acquitted of rape and choking related to the attack, as well as a separate rape and assault allegation from November 2024.

His attorney, Sasha Wass, said that Trump wasn't aware the woman had a boyfriend and questioned how much he could have seen in just a few seconds of video. 

Trump never testified in the case. However, the judge praised him for his quick-thinking actions. 

"Mr, Trump properly and responsibly, despite being in the United States, made sure the emergency services here were called, and he told them what he had seen," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters in an interview published Thursday.

"The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," Zelenskyy said, describing a proposal he warned could undermine both Ukraine’s defenses and broader European security.

But a U.S. official, speaking on background, told Fox News Digital the claim is false.

Zelenskyy's comments point to growing pressure from President Donald Trump to reach a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year following Russia’s 2022 invasion. 

ZELENSKYY SAYS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE AFTER TRUMP MEETING BUT TERRITORY REMAINS STICKING POINT

Zelenskyy suggested the administration’s approach is influenced in part by competing global crises, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

"The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump," Zelenskyy said. "President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side."

Talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine have taken place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva in 2026, but key issues remain unresolved, including how Ukraine’s future security would be guaranteed and who would fund its long-term defense.

Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines, weakening Kyiv’s position and potentially enabling future aggression.

"I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees," he said.

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS TRUMP SAID US WILL CONSIDER GIVING UKRAINE DECADES OF SECURITY GUARANTEES

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long insisted that full control of Donbas is central to Moscow’s war aims. While Russian forces have made gains, analysts cited by Reuters say progress has been slow, and capturing the remaining territory could take significant time and manpower.

Zelenskyy also warned that Moscow is betting Washington will lose interest if negotiations stall. 

"Russia is counting on the fact that the United States will not have the strength or patience to bring this to an end," he said.

Despite tensions over negotiations, Zelenskyy thanked the Trump administration for continuing deliveries of Patriot missile defense systems, which Ukraine relies on to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. 

"Deliveries to us were not stopped. I’m very grateful to President Trump, and to his team," he said, while adding that supplies remain insufficient.

In parallel with the diplomatic push, Zelenskyy signaled a broader strategy to expand Ukraine’s role as a security provider, particularly in the Middle East, where countries are seeking solutions to large-scale drone and missile threats.

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS PRODUCTIVE AS EX-GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAYS COUNTRY RETHINKING 'UNCOMPROMISING' STANCE

"The United States has reached out to us regarding their bases in Middle Eastern countries," Zelenskyy wrote on X Thursday, adding that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have also approached Ukraine.

He said Ukrainian teams are already on the ground sharing operational experience, particularly in countering mass drone attacks. 

"No matter how many Patriots, THAADs, or other air defense systems are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough," he wrote. "There are modern interceptors designed to counter heavy drone strikes."

Zelenskyy also indicated Ukraine is exploring defense trade arrangements, offering to sell surplus systems and expertise while seeking access to air defense missiles it currently lacks. 

"Funding is the scarcest resource today," he wrote, noting Ukraine’s defense industry is operating at roughly half capacity and needs additional financing to scale drone production.

In separate posts tied to an address at a Joint Expeditionary Force summit, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s battlefield experience could play a broader role in European and global security.

"We have this experience. … Let’s bring all of this together even more," he wrote, calling for deeper cooperation with European partners and warning that the continent must build its own capacity to produce air defense systems rather than rely on external suppliers.

Reuters contributed to this story.

U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters in an interview published Thursday.

"The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," Zelenskyy said, describing a proposal he warned could undermine both Ukraine’s defenses and broader European security.

The comments point to growing pressure from President Donald Trump to reach a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year following Russia’s 2022 invasion. 

Zelenskyy suggested the administration’s approach is influenced in part by competing global crises, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

ZELENSKYY SAYS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE AFTER TRUMP MEETING BUT TERRITORY REMAINS STICKING POINT

"The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump," Zelenskyy said. "President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side."

Talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine have taken place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva in 2026, but key issues remain unresolved, including how Ukraine’s future security would be guaranteed and who would fund its long-term defense.

Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines, weakening Kyiv’s position and potentially enabling future aggression.

"I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees," he said.

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS TRUMP SAID US WILL CONSIDER GIVING UKRAINE DECADES OF SECURITY GUARANTEES

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long insisted that full control of Donbas is central to Moscow’s war aims. While Russian forces have made gains, analysts cited by Reuters say progress has been slow, and capturing the remaining territory could take significant time and manpower.

Zelenskyy also warned that Moscow is betting Washington will lose interest if negotiations stall. 

"Russia is counting on the fact that the United States will not have the strength or patience to bring this to an end," he said.

Despite tensions over negotiations, Zelenskyy thanked the Trump administration for continuing deliveries of Patriot missile defense systems, which Ukraine relies on to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. 

"Deliveries to us were not stopped. I’m very grateful to President Trump, and to his team," he said, while adding that supplies remain insufficient.

In parallel with the diplomatic push, Zelenskyy signaled a broader strategy to expand Ukraine’s role as a security provider, particularly in the Middle East, where countries are seeking solutions to large-scale drone and missile threats.

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS PRODUCTIVE AS EX-GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAYS COUNTRY RETHINKING 'UNCOMPROMISING' STANCE

"The United States has reached out to us regarding their bases in Middle Eastern countries," Zelenskyy wrote on X Thursday, adding that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have also approached Ukraine.

He said Ukrainian teams are already on the ground sharing operational experience, particularly in countering mass drone attacks. 

"No matter how many Patriots, THAADs, or other air defense systems are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough," he wrote. "There are modern interceptors designed to counter heavy drone strikes."

Zelenskyy also indicated Ukraine is exploring defense trade arrangements, offering to sell surplus systems and expertise while seeking access to air defense missiles it currently lacks. "Funding is the scarcest resource today," he wrote, noting Ukraine’s defense industry is operating at roughly half capacity and needs additional financing to scale drone production.

In separate posts tied to an address at a Joint Expeditionary Force summit, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s battlefield experience could play a broader role in European and global security.

"We have this experience. … Let’s bring all of this together even more," he wrote, calling for deeper cooperation with European partners and warning that the continent must build its own capacity to produce air defense systems rather than rely on external suppliers.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and didn't receive a reply. 

Reuters contributed to this story.

Russia launched nearly 400 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine overnight Monday, triggering NATO to scramble fighter jets in neighboring countries, according to reports.

The massive aerial assault killed at least four people and injured more than two dozen, with strikes hitting multiple regions including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, The Associated Press reported, citing Ukrainian officials.

Poland and Romania both scrambled fighter jets as Russian strikes approached NATO airspace, East2West reported, with Warsaw placing air defenses on the "highest state of readiness," Poland’s operational command said.

"Due to the activity of long-range Russian air forces conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory, Polish and allied air forces have begun operating in our airspace," Poland’s operational command said, according to East2West.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI

Hours earlier, two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in fellow NATO state Romania as Russian drones attacked Ukraine near the River Danube, the outlet reported. The Danube forms part of the border between Ukraine and Romania.

Ukrainian military leaders said Russian forces have intensified attacks along the roughly 750-mile front line, with hundreds of assaults reported in recent days.

The Institute for the Study of War said the escalation suggests Moscow’s long-anticipated spring-summer offensive is now underway, according to The Associated Press.

RUSSIA KILLS 12 UKRAINIAN MINERS IN DEADLY BUS ATTACK HOURS AFTER PEACE TALKS POSTPONED

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched nearly 400 drones. Ukrainian officials later said most were intercepted or disrupted, although some were able to hit their targets, according to East2West.

Russia also launched 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles at Ukraine during the night, hitting at least 10 locations across the country, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless barrages since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago. U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv over the past year have brought no respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s ceasefire offer.

The latest strikes came after Ukraine hit Russia’s largest Baltic port, Primorsk, in a pinpoint attack a day earlier, leaving the key export hub in flames, East2West reported.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, threatened "dire" consequences over what he said was Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles, which this month hit and damaged a microelectronics plant in Russia’s Bryansk region.

"The British, without whose participation the use of Storm Shadow missiles is simply impossible, decided to remind everyone of both Ukraine and themselves," he said. "However, any action has consequences. And for everyone involved in the tragedy in Bryansk, the consequences will be dire."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting a war against Russia for years, said Kyiv has evidence that Moscow is supplying Iran with intelligence support.

"Report by Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Oleh Ivashchenko. First, we have irrefutable evidence that the Russians continue to provide intelligence to the Iranian regime. Russia is using its own signals intelligence and electronic intelligence capabilities, as well as part of the data obtained through cooperation with partners in the Middle East," part of a post on Zelenskyy's X account notes.

"There is growing evidence that the Russians continue to provide the Iranian regime with intelligence support," Zelenskyy noted in part of another post. "By helping the Iranian regime stay afloat and strike more accurately, Russia is effectively prolonging the war. There must be a response."

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS ON ‘SITUATIONAL PAUSE’ AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT INTENSIFIES: KREMLIN

The U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran over three weeks ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated in a Monday Truth Social post that the U.S. is engaging in talks with Iran.

TRUMP'S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE

In the all-caps post on Monday morning, the president said in the last two days the U.S. and Iran had engaged in discussions about resolving the conflict. He said the talks would continue during the week and that he had ordered the War Department to postpone attacks against energy infrastructure in Iran for five days.

Iran's Foreign Ministry denied that it is engaging in discussions with America, according to state media, indicating there was "no dialogue" with Tehran and D.C., The Wall Street Journal has reported.

"Yes, there are initiatives from regional countries to reduce tensions, and our response to all of them is clear: we are not the party that started this war, and all these requests should be referred to Washington," the ministry indicated, according to state broadcaster IRIB, the Journal reported.

TRUMP SAYS ‘HATRED’ BETWEEN PUTIN, ZELENSKYY BLOCKING UKRAINE PEACE DEAL

U.S. Central Command noted in a Monday post on X that "U.S. forces continue to aggressively strike Iranian military targets with precision munitions." 

The post included video footage of the strikes.

Russia is covertly shipping oil to Cuba using deceptive shipping tactics to bypass U.S. sanctions, according to maritime intelligence reports, and as the island grapples with fuel shortages and power outages.

One alleged delivery came amid one of Cuba’s worst energy crises and ahead of a grid collapse on March 16 which left roughly 10 million people without electricity, according to Cuban authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.

"The Hong Kong-flagged tanker, which is not sanctioned, has AIS patterns that suggest the tanker spoofed its location and likely sailed to Cuba to discharge its cargo in early March," Windward AI said.

The Financial Times also reported March 18 that another Russian-flagged tanker, Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying crude oil, was expected to reach Cuba by April 4.

"We are ready to provide all possible assistance," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told reporters at a briefing on Cuba on March 17, The Moscow Times reported.

PROTESTERS TORCH COMMUNIST PARTY HQ IN CUBA AS VIDEO APPEARS TO CAPTURE GUNFIRE

The alleged shipments came as senior officials at the State Department told Fox News that, under existing law, there are ways for Cuban companies and citizens to purchase oil, but said the Cuban regime is making that impossible. 

The U.S. oil embargo prevents the Cuban regime from purchasing oil only, the official confirmed.

Windward AI first identified the tanker, Sea Horse, as the key vessel in the suspected clandestine oil delivery in its report on March 18.

The firm said the vessel was thought to have transported around 190,000 to 200,000 barrels to Cuba while engaging in behavior consistent with sanctions evasion. Although the vessel is not under sanctions, Windward analysts flagged several suspicious activities.

These included switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) during a ship-to-ship transfer near Cyprus — where it likely loaded its cargo — and sailing without Western insurance, both common indicators of sanctions circumvention.

The tanker also repeatedly altered its stated destination, initially signaling Havana before changing to "Gibraltar for orders," a tactic often used to obscure final delivery points.

CUBAN ACTIVIST TO TRUMP: ‘MAKE CUBA GREAT AGAIN’ BY ENDING COMMUNIST RULE

After crossing the Atlantic, it appeared to drift while broadcasting that it was "not under command," with analysts suggesting its AIS signals may have been manipulated to conceal its true location and activities.

These movements strongly indicate that the vessel may have completed an unreported delivery to Cuba before resuming normal transmissions.

Since Jan. 29, U.S. measures — effectively creating an oil blockade — have disrupted fuel shipments to the island.

The policy shift followed major changes in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, further tightening supply to Cuba and discouraging other tankers from approaching its ports.

President Donald Trump had warned that countries supplying oil to Cuba could face tariffs, while Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the measures as an "economic war" and pledged continued resistance in a post shared on X.

"The only way for Cuba to fix its energy crisis is to address the root cause of its economic failures: total government control of economic life," a U.S. official told Fox News on March 17.

RUSSIA TO SUSPEND FLIGHTS TO CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CUT FUEL SUPPLY

"The regime must make significant changes, allowing for privatization and for the Cuban people to provide for themselves," they said.

Otherwise, another senior State Department official said Cuba's blackouts have "sadly become common for many years in Cuba — a symptom of the failing regime’s incompetence and inability to provide even the most basic goods and services for its people."

"This is the tragic result of over 60 years of Communist rule. An island that was once the crown jewel of the Caribbean has plunged into extreme poverty and darkness.

"As President Trump has said, what is left of the regime should make a deal and finally let the Cuban people be free and prosperous, with the help of the United States," the official said.

"Cuba right now is in very bad shape. They’re talking to Marco," Trump told reporters March 17 before adding that "we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon."

In March 2026, as the smoke cleared over Tehran after the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran’s leadership, Russia’s response was strikingly restrained. Despite a 20-year strategic partnership treaty signed with Tehran just last year, Moscow limited its reaction to condemnation and calls for diplomacy. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia had received no request from Iran for military assistance.

 "There were no requests from Iran in this case," Peskov told reporters March 5.

For analysts who study the relationship between Moscow and Tehran, the moment felt familiar. 

HEGSETH WARNS RUSSIA AS SIGNS POINT TO MOSCOW SHARING INTEL WITH IRAN

"The relationship has always been transactional," said Ksenia Svetlova, executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economy and Security (ROPES) and an associate fellow at Chatham House. "Russia does what serves its own interests."

While Iran and Russia have moved closer in recent years — particularly after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — experts say the partnership has never resembled a true alliance. Instead, they say, it reflects a long history of cooperation shaped by convenience, rivalry and shifting geopolitical needs.

The uneasy relationship between the two powers stretches back nearly two centuries. In 1828, the Treaty of Turkmenchay forced Persia to cede large parts of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire after a military defeat. The treaty remains one of the most painful symbols of foreign domination in Iranian political memory.

In the 20th century, Russia’s relationship with Iran shifted dramatically. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Moscow maintained relatively stable ties with Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. 

"It actually had good relations with the Shah who visited Moscow after World War II," Svetlova said.

"But Communist Russia was very suspicious of Islamist Iran after the 1979 revolution," said Svetlova. 

It was a mutual distrust. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini denounced both Cold War superpowers, calling the United States the "Great Satan" and the Soviet Union the "Lesser Satan." 

Even during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, the Soviet Union maintained ties with Tehran while simultaneously supplying weapons to Iraq. 

"The Soviet Union was very suspicious of Islamist Iran," Svetlova said. "Even after the revolution, the relationship could not really be considered an alliance."

AS UKRAINE WAR DRAGS ON, TRUMP HITS PUTIN BY SQUEEZING RUSSIA’S PROXIES

In recent years, however, geopolitical pressures pushed the two countries closer together. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 created new military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. 

Though Russia and Iran have not shared a land border since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, they remain "neighbors" via the Caspian Sea. This "blue border" became a vital artery in 2022 when Iran supplied the Shahed-series drones used in Ukraine that Russia has used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the partnership has had direct consequences on the battlefield. 

"Sadly, the world is just now getting a taste of Iranian drones. But there's one group that already knows them well, the Christians in Ukraine," Harward said. 

"Close to 600 Ukrainian churches have been destroyed by Russian attacks, including from the Iranian Shahed drones."

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former deputy assistant secretary of state, argued that Russia’s continued use of Iranian drones against Ukrainian targets underscores the depth of the military relationship while its calls for restraint in the current conflict highlight a fundamental contradiction. 

"If Russia were serious about peace, we would see a ceasefire with Ukraine months ago," she said. "Yet, Putin continues to attack Ukrainian cities, churches and civilians with Iranian drones day after day."

And yet Russia’s dependence on Iranian drones during the early stages of the Ukraine war has also diminished as Moscow built its own production capacity. A report cited by The Washington Post found that Russia has "transitioned from importing Iranian Shahed drones to mass-manufacturing them" under the name Geran-2.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia "should not be involved" in the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran amid reports Russia has provided information that could help Iran identify U.S. military assets in the Middle East. Moscow has not publicly confirmed the claims. 

"I believe Russia is providing Iran intelligence to more effectively target Americans, our allies and partners in the CENTCOM region," said Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, a retired Air Force officer who served as assistant vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. "It's absolutely clear Russia is not our friend.

IRAN LAUNCHES SATELLITES ON RUSSIAN ROCKETS AS MOSCOW-TEHRAN TIES DEEPEN

"They are doing for the Iranians without spending money, spending troops or spending equipment," Svetlova added. "They share knowledge. They supplied the Iranians with a target list, basically, through their satellites — American targets, but also air targets in the Gulf and Iraq."

Harward argued that confronting this growing cooperation requires a broader strategy. 

"If we want to break the threat of the increasingly dangerous Russian-Iranian alliance, we need to fully decimate Iran's capabilities to threaten our allies and the United States, and we need to continue to support Ukraine and get Europeans to do their part," he said.

Filipetti remains skeptical of Moscow’s role as a mediator. 

"The idea that Russia would call on the U.S. and Israel to cease military operations against the regime in Iran and suggest that we should negotiate is absurd," Filipetti said.

Although Russia is falling short of helping Iran in a straightforward military way, experts say the cooperation in the world of intelligence has been profound. 

Ultimately, Newton argued that Russia’s actions should be viewed through the lens of President Vladimir Putin’s broader geopolitical goals. 

"Putin only does what serves Putin, and right now escalating the war in the Middle East and driving up oil prices only serves his interests so he can continue to fund his war machine against Ukraine," he said.

Russia has turned to its so-called "shadow fleet" to carry out a roughly $29.3 million "semi-dark" ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Gulf of Oman, deliberately sidestepping Western sanctions, according to reports.

Maritime intelligence firm Windward AI reported on March 8 that the Russian-flagged tanker M/V TRUST, a vessel already blacklisted by the U.S., European Union and United Kingdom, carried out a "high-probability" covert crude transfer in Omani territorial waters.

Based on an estimated price of about $90 per barrel on March 10, the cargo involved in the transfer was valued at roughly $29.3 million.

"The timing of the operation coincided with heightened military escalation in the Gulf following Operation Epic Fury, suggesting the vessel exploited regional instability to conduct the transfer under reduced scrutiny," Windward said.

HORMUZ ERUPTS: ATTACKS, GPS JAMMING, HOUTHI THREATS ROCK STRAIT AMID US-ISRAELI STRIKES

The tanker had previously loaded approximately 325,000 barrels of Russian crude oil at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, Windward said.

Windward described the operation as a "semi-dark" activity, meaning one of the vessels transmitted its automatic identification system (AIS) signal while the other did not.

According to the firm, the M/V TRUST had anchored and switched off its AIS transponder while holding what it called a "prolonged stationary meeting" with another tanker, likely producing an anonymous vessel to transfer cargo process.

TRUMP SAYS IT’S AN ‘HONOR’ TO KEEP STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN FOR CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES

A fully "dark" meeting, Windward said, typically involves two vessels not transmitting, but, in this case, only one ship appeared to be broadcasting, creating partial visibility that still complicates tracking efforts.

Such tactics are part of a broader strategy by Moscow to continue exporting crude despite sweeping Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The semi-dark oil transfer comes amid heightened volatility in global energy markets tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and limited traffic in the Strait of Hormuz given the joint U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran.

US SIGNALS READINESS TO ESCORT TANKERS THROUGH HORMUZ AS TRAFFIC THINS BUT NO MISSION LAUNCHED

Oil topped $100 a barrel March 9 as traders priced in the risk that the conflict was disrupting flows through the Strait, which carries about a fifth of global supply, CNBC reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 9 that Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter and holder of the largest natural gas reserves, stands ready to resume long-term energy cooperation with European customers if they choose to return, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia "should not be involved" in the escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran.

His comments followed reports suggesting Moscow may be providing intelligence support to Tehran, though the Kremlin has not publicly confirmed the claims.

On Russia's ship-to-ship semi-dark cargo transfer amid the ongoing conflict, Windward highlighted "operational blind spots that enable illicit maritime activity to proceed largely uninterrupted."

A Russian ballistic missile strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, killed at least 10 people, including two children, and wounded 16 others Saturday, officials said.

The strike was part of a broader overnight assault in which Russia launched 29 missiles and 480 drones targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with damage reported in Kyiv and at seven other locations across the country, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy called for an international response following the attack.

"There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life. I thank everyone who will not remain silent. Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue," he said in a post on X.

ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR 'REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR

"We count on active work with the European Union to guarantee greater protection for our people," he added. "I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our protection."

Preliminary Ukrainian data showed air defense systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones, while nine missiles and 26 strike drones hit 22 locations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted Ukrainian military factories, energy facilities and air bases.

TRUMP SAYS 'HATRED' BETWEEN PUTIN, ZELENSKYY BLOCKING UKRAINE PEACE DEAL

Speaking Saturday at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, President Donald Trump said the "hatred" between Russia and Ukraine was complicating efforts to reach a peace deal.

"It's so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you'd think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It's very hard for them to get there. It's very, very hard to get there. So we'll see what happens," Trump said. "But we've been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out." 

"But we're losing, you know, they're losing, you know, doesn't really affect us very much because we've got an ocean separating. I'm doing it as a favor to Europe, and I'm doing it as a favor to life because they're losing 25,000 souls," Trump added. "Think of that every month. 25,000. Last month, 31,000.  Both sides, 31,000 people died, mostly soldiers."

Last month, Zelenskyy told Fox News that Russia is trying "to play with the president of the United States" and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman-Diamond and The Associated Press contributed to this report.