Russia provides Hamas with trophy weapons, helps to use drones against armored vehicles - intelligence chief

He spoke about this in an interview with the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet.

"First of all, we clearly know that trophy weapons from Ukraine were transferred by the Russians to the Hamas group. Most of it was infantry weapons. There is some information that something went to Hezbollah, but we do not know for sure," Budanov said.

He also noted that the militants used tactics with FPV drones against armored vehicles in their attack on Israel. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate said that this tactic is common in the east European region and completely unusual for the Middle East.

"This is the know-how of our war, after all. No one else but people who went through our theater of hostilities could do this. Since Ukraine was not there, it means it was the Russians," Budanov added.

The head of Ukrainian intelligence pointed to two facts that indicate a "Russian trace" in the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East. Thus, a week before these events began, the Russian Sputnik station launched broadcasting in Arabic in Lebanon: "This is a completely propaganda-style broadcast with obvious Russian narratives."

"We know that there were several, let's say, wishes from the Iranian side. One of them was to expand intelligence capabilities. Now it is clear what kind of intelligence the Russians have begun to provide to all interested parties. I emphasize that it is not Iran alone, but all the interested parties," Budanov summarized.

War in Israel

On the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched a massive air and land attack on the state of Israel in several places. The head of the Hamas military wing, Mohammed Deif, said that his militants had launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. According to him, these actions are intended to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Palestinians launched 2,000 to 3,000 missiles at Israel and simultaneously seized 7 communities in the south.

The IDF actively used aviation to strike Palestinian command posts. It has also begun clearing Hamas-occupied communities.

In addition, there is a great threat that the Shiite Hezbollah could attack Israel from the north, as its main partner and supplier, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), has called on jihadists to "liberate Jerusalem."

On the morning of October 8, the Saudi television channel Al Arabiya published the losses of both Palestinians and Israelis during the first day of the renewed military conflict. According to the channel, Israel lost 300 people killed and at least 1,600 wounded. The number of casualties from the Palestinian-populated Gaza Strip is 232 killed and 1,627 wounded. 

On October 8, Israeli troops claimed that Lebanon had attacked their territory, so the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked in response. In particular, Israeli aviation struck a complex belonging to the head of Hamas' intelligence.

Militants of the Lebanese military-political organization Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions on the border with the disputed Golan Heights and supported Hamas in its operation against Israel.

Due to the situation in the Middle East, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting. However, no action or decisions were taken after it. At the same time, the UK government stated that it would support Israel in its fight against terrorists and was ready to provide it with all necessary assistance.

On the afternoon of October 9, the Israeli army regained control of all areas on the border with the Gaza Strip. At this, it is possible that there are still Hamas militants on Israeli territory.

At night and during the day on the same day, the Israeli armed forces attacked the Gaza Strip. The main targets were command posts, homes of commanders, militants and ordinary soldiers of the Hamas terrorist organization. The Israeli Ministry of Defense ordered the military to put the Gaza Strip under blockade.

A number of countries have condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas militants and expressed support for Israel in its defense against aggression. Among them are the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Hungary, Norway, Cyprus, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Argentina, Australia, and the European Union.

As of the morning of October 11, the death toll in Israel had risen to 1,200, and the IDF had hit more than 200 targets in Gaza over the course of the day. 

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky was the first foreign statesman to personally arrive in Tel Aviv after Hamas's attack on Israel to evacuate 34 citizens of his country by plane.

It was also reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Israel on October 12 to personally assess the situation in the country.