Russia Agreed to Supply Iran With 90 Missile Launchers, Leaked Documents Show

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Russia agreed to supply Iran with 90 helicopter-mounted launchers for a guided missile widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine, according to leaked defense-industry documents obtained by the Financial Times.

The previously unreported order adds to a growing body of evidence of Russian military assistance to Tehran, even as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to play down Moscow’s role in Iran’s war with the United States.

What the documents show

The documents were obtained by Dallas Analytics, a private Ukrainian intelligence group. They include a 2024–2025 production schedule attached to a May 2024 letter from Vympel, one of Russia’s leading missile designers.

In the letter, Vympel urged the KBM design bureau to accelerate component deliveries for two launcher models, the APU-L and APU-305, warning that delays could jeopardize nine contracts. The production schedule lists seven Russian customers and two foreign buyers.

According to the FT, Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport uses the code “K-10” for Iran. One contract for Yak-130 jet trainers explicitly names the buyer as “K-10, Iran.” The records reportedly schedule deliveries of the 90 APU-L launchers between late 2024 and December 2025, though they do not confirm whether the weapons were ultimately delivered.

The launchers are designed to carry the LMUR, also known as Izdeliye 305, a precision-guided missile capable of striking moving targets. The APU-L launcher is fitted to Mi-28 attack helicopters and carries two missiles. Photographs of an Mi-28 helicopter inside a Tehran hangar surfaced in January 2026.

Trump’s denials

On October 13, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he did not believe Russia or China were assisting Iran.

“If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all,” he wrote.

Western intelligence officials say, however, that Moscow and Tehran have drawn closer during this year’s war in the Middle East. Earlier reporting by the FT said Russia helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles and supplied Verba shoulder-fired air-defense systems.

Analysts weigh in

Nicole Grajewski of the Carnegie Endowment told the FT that the reported order demonstrates “Russia’s willingness to continue supplying Iran despite its own wartime demands.”

Hanna Notte of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies said Moscow still observes “certain red lines.” In her view, Russian assistance is “operationally helpful but is not the game changer in this war.”