Defense & National Security — US says Iran lying about drones in Ukraine

The Biden administration is trading diplomatic fire with Iran over allegations that drones from Tehran are playing an increasingly deadly role in Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

We’ll share the latest updates on the Ukraine-Russia war, plus a new survey on veterans running in the midterms.

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Colin Meyn. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

White House: ‘Iran continues to lie’ about drones

The Biden administration says that Iranian denials that it has supplied military equipment to Russia is a lie, following deadly Russian strikes in Kyiv on Monday that Ukrainian officials said came from Iranian drones. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that reports from Kyiv appeared to document an Iranian Shahed-136 drone striking the city.

• “We have been warning since July… that Iran was planning to sell UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] to Russia for use against Ukraine… There is extensive proof of their use by Russia against both military and civilian targets there,” Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. 
  
• “You all have seen, as well, the reports this morning of what appear to be an Iranian drone strike in downtown Kyiv, yet Iran continues to lie about this,” she continued.
  
• “They have not been truthful about this and deny providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. Meanwhile, according to these new reports, Iran is considering selling more destructive weapons to support an invasion they claim to oppose,” she added. 

Casualties: At least four people were killed in early morning strikes on Kyiv that targeted infrastructure and buildings, Ukrainian officials said. The dead included a six-month pregnant woman and her husband, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram. Rescue crews are searching the rubble for more victims.

Iran’s claims: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani denied on Monday that Iran was providing Russia with drones. “The published news about Iran providing Russia with drones has political ambitions and it’s circulated by western sources. We have not provided weaponry to any side of the countries at war,” he said at a press conference, according to Reuters.

New sanctions: Jean-Pierre said the administration is going to “continue to vigorously enforce U.S. sanctions on both the Russian and Iranian Arm trade.” And the administration is reportedly readying sanctions targeting Iranian military sales, according to Politico, but with measures likely looking to target specific individuals rather than the Iranian regime. 

Read the full story from Laura Kelly here

Russia bombards Ukraine’s energy grid

Russia is escalating its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, taking hits at the country’s energy system as Ukrainian officials warn that a difficult winter in the country is looming.

Recent strikes in central and northern Ukraine damaged energy infrastructure facilities, state grid operator Ukrenergo reported on Telegram, according to translations, and an attack Saturday severely damaged a significant power facility near Kyiv.

“Due to the Russian missile terror in some cities and regions of Ukraine, energy workers have to limit the supply of electricity so that the entire system works stably. But it will be possible to avoid such stabilization blackouts if all of us in Ukraine consciously treat our consumption during peak hours,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address Sunday.  

Scale of attacks: Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko told CNN in an interview last week that Russia had hit around 30 percent of the country’s energy infrastructure in just a two-day period. 

• Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor said on Telegram that Russia had fired 28 explosive kamikaze drones at the capital city in Monday’s strikes alone. 
  
• Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Monday reportedly said it had struck “all designated targets” in its latest bout of attacks, according to Reuters.

Difficult winter: Ukraine’s energy system has so far been resilient, and Ukrainian troops have maintained their successful counteroffensive effort, but Zelensky has long predicted that the winter season will be a significant challenge for the civilian population and for the war effort.

In a call with President Biden earlier this month, Zelensky “underscored that recent large-scale damages of critical energy infrastructure pose serious challenges ahead of the upcoming winter and beginning of the heating season,” according to an update from his office.

Read Julia Mueller’s full report here.

1 in 5 midterm candidates are veterans

Just over 20 percent of candidates running in the 2022 midterm elections have some degree of military experience, the majority of which are men and nearly two-thirds are Republican. 

That’s according to new research conducted by Pew Research Center on the roughly 1,000 candidates running for Congress or governor across the country. 

Despite veterans accounting for a seemingly large chunk of candidates this campaign season, the share of veterans in Congress has drastically decreased since peaking in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1967, 75 percent of House representatives had served in the military and in 1975, 81 percent of senators were veterans. 

A Pew survey carried out in the summer of 2022 found 53 percent of registered voters liked political leaders with military experience, while men and Republicans were more likely to view these candidates favorably.

Far-right views: In the past, it was also thought electing a candidate with a military background could help foster bipartisanship and cooperation. However, many veterans running for election in 2022 hold far-right ideologies, despite being largely anti-interventionist when it comes to foreign policy — a traditionally Democratic view. 

Women veterans: Women account for less than 1 in 10 candidates with military experience in each chamber, as 16 of the 191 veterans running for the House this year are women. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is the only female veteran running for a Senate seat this year.  

Read the full story from Gianna Melillo here. 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

• The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host the event “Is Iran on the Brink?” at 1:30 p.m.
• The Heritage Foundation will host a program on “The Diminished State of Today’s Military” at 10 a.m.
• The German Marshall Fund will host a discussion with Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur at 11:30 a.m. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Belarus says nearly 9,000 Russian troops will deploy to Ukraine border
• McCaul demands State preserve documents on Afghanistan withdrawal
• Ongoing US support to Ukraine could prompt Russian cyber escalation in midterms, experts warn
• FBI warns Chinese hackers scanning state political parties
• US sends armored vehicles to help Haiti fight ‘criminal actors’
• Politico: Fiona Hill: ‘Elon Musk Is Transmitting a Message for Putin’
• WaPo: Russia is grabbing men off the street to fight in Ukraine

That’s it for today! Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!