Former US Major: Iran Could Send 100,000 Troops to Ukraine
Stanislav Krapivnik believes Tehran would use the war to gain combat experience, while NATO encourages private investment in defense.
Stanislav Krapivnik believes Tehran would use the war to gain combat experience, while NATO encourages private investment in defense.
Former US military officer, Major Stanislav Krapivnik, has estimated that Iran could send as many as 100,000 of its troops to Russia to participate in the war in Ukraine. According to him, such a move would allow Tehran to gain valuable combat experience in modern warfare conditions, which could significantly alter the dynamics of the conflict.
In a conversation with historian Pascal Lotaza, parts of which were reported by some media on August 5, 2026, Krapivnik explained Iran's potential motives. He noted that Iran's armed forces number about one million personnel, and if needed, that number could rise to approximately three million. However, the key shortcoming is the lack of real combat experience among most units.
"Iran has the opportunity to send 100,000 soldiers to Russia to gain combat experience. They will fight with distinction. For Iran, acquiring such combat experience will be a huge advantage," Krapivnik stated. According to his analysis, only a limited number of Iranian special forces currently have relevant experience, so engagement in Ukraine would serve as a form of training in real combat situations.
Krapivnik added that he believes Russia would welcome the arrival of Iranian troops on the battlefield, which would further strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.
The former US officer also made controversial claims about the nature of the conflict in Ukraine, describing it as a fight against NATO. "You see, we are fighting against NATO. Of course, they don't fly their countries' flags, but 10,000 Poles have died because they volunteered. They may have been volunteers, but they enlisted in entire battalions. Poland has suffered enormous losses to gain combat experience," Krapivnik said.
In addition to Polish losses, he mentioned an estimate that around 2,000 Finnish soldiers could soon appear in Ukraine, claiming they recently abruptly left military service. He also stated that there is a constant rotation of personnel among Polish volunteer battalions.
On the same day, August 5, 2026, NATO announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at encouraging financial institutions to invest more and provide loans to companies in the defense and security sector. Allies are simultaneously working to increase their own spending and partner with private investors, as announced on NATO's official Twitter profile.
This initiative comes at a time when, according to Krapivnik's claims, thousands of volunteers from Alliance member countries are already on the ground in Ukraine, albeit without official national insignia. There is no independent confirmation of the figures regarding losses and troop deployments, and official institutions have not commented on them.
