LONDON – Over the past year, several senior Russian missile specialists have traveled to Iran as the country has strengthened its defense ties with Moscow, according to a Reuters review of travel records and employment data.

Seven weapons experts were scheduled to fly from Moscow to Tehran on April 24 and September 17 last year. Documents detailing the bookings and the passenger manifest for the second flight confirm their travel plans.

The booking records include passport numbers, with six of the seven bearing the “20” prefix—signifying official state business passports issued to government officials and military personnel for foreign assignments, as per Russian government regulations and a foreign ministry document. Reuters could not determine the purpose of their visits.

A senior Iranian defense ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Russian missile specialists visited multiple Iranian missile production sites last year, including two underground facilities. Some of these visits reportedly took place in September, though the locations were not disclosed.

A Western defense official, who monitors Russia-Iran military cooperation and also requested anonymity, stated that an unspecified number of Russian missile experts visited an Iranian missile base roughly 15 kilometers west of Amirabad port on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast in September. It remains unclear whether these officials referred to the Russians aboard the two flights.

All seven individuals identified by Reuters have military backgrounds, with two holding the rank of colonel and two as lieutenant colonel. A review of Russian databases, including employment, tax, phone, and vehicle records, indicates their expertise. Two specialize in air-defense missile systems, three in artillery and rocketry, one in advanced weapons development, and another has experience at a missile-testing range. However, Reuters could not confirm whether they still hold these positions, as the employment data spans from 2021 to 2024.

Their travel to Tehran coincided with heightened tensions for Iran, as it engaged in a series of retaliatory strikes with its longtime adversary, Israel, in April and October.

Reuters contacted all seven men by phone. Five denied visiting Iran or working for the military, one declined to comment, and another ended the call.

Iran’s defense and foreign ministries, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—which oversees Iran’s ballistic missile program—declined to comment. The Russian defense ministry also did not respond to inquiries.

Military cooperation between the two nations has already impacted Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Iranian-designed Shahed drones deployed in large numbers on the battlefield.

Hooshyaran-e Vatan, an activist hacker group opposed to the Iranian government, provided Reuters with flight booking details for the seven men, claiming they traveled with VIP status.

Reuters corroborated this with the Russian passenger manifest for the September flight, sourced from an individual with access to Russian state databases. However, as Reuters could not obtain the manifest for the April flight, it remains unverified whether all five Russian specialists booked on it actually made the trip.

Among the April flight’s five booked passengers were Denis Kalko, 48, and Vadim Malov, 46. Tax records from 2021 show Kalko worked at the Russian defense ministry’s Academy for Military Anti-Aircraft Defense. Malov was affiliated with a military unit training anti-aircraft missile forces, according to 2024 car ownership records.

Others booked on the April flight include Andrei Gusev, 45, Alexander Antonov, 43, and Marat Khusainov, 54. Gusev, a lieutenant colonel, serves as deputy head of the General Purpose Rockets and Artillery Munitions faculty at the defense ministry’s Penza Artillery Engineering Institute, per a 2021 institute news report. Antonov has worked at the Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate, as indicated by 2024 car registration records, while Khusainov, a colonel, has ties to the Kapustin Yar missile-testing range, according to banking data.

Two individuals were aboard the September flight to Tehran. One was Sergei Yurchenko, 46, who has worked at the Rocket and Artillery Directorate, according to undated mobile phone records. His passport number carried the “22” prefix, which, based on Russian government guidelines, is not assigned to private citizens or diplomats, though its exact designation remains unclear.

The second passenger, 46-year-old Oleg Fedosov, is listed in residence records as being affiliated with the Directorate of Advanced Inter-Service Research and Special Projects—a defense ministry branch focused on developing next-generation weapons systems.

Russian border records show Fedosov had previously traveled from Tehran to Moscow in October 2023. On both occasions, he used a passport designated for official state business.

Russia’s FSB security service announced on Friday that it had foiled a plot, allegedly ordered by Ukraine, to assassinate Tikhon Shevkunov, a senior bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church known for his close ties to President Vladimir Putin.

Often referred to as “Putin’s confessor” in media reports, Metropolitan Tikhon serves on Putin’s advisory council for culture and the arts and has maintained an acquaintance with the Russian leader since the 1990s.

The 66-year-old cleric was appointed Metropolitan of Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a role that signifies a senior bishop. Frequently seen in public with Putin, he has been speculated as a possible successor to Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to the FSB, a Ukrainian and a Russian national were arrested in Moscow on suspicion of planning the attack. The agency claimed the suspects had been “recruited by Ukraine’s GUR intelligence service through Telegram.”

Russia’s TASS news agency identified the individuals as Shevkunov’s assistant, Denis Popovich, and fellow cleric Nikita Ivankovich. It reported that in December, the suspects were given an improvised explosive device with instructions to assassinate Metropolitan Tikhon before fleeing Moscow using false passports.

Their alleged plan involved planting explosives in the “living quarters” of Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery while Shevkunov was present, TASS stated. Videos released by Russia’s Zvezda news outlet showed security forces detaining one of the suspects and transporting him in a van, while another clip depicted a suspect handcuffed and lying face-down in an apartment. The outlet also shared footage that purportedly showed the suspects confessing.

Ukraine has not issued any public response to the allegations. Since launching its military offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has witnessed several attacks targeting Russian or pro-Russian figures. Many of these incidents have been attributed to Kyiv or claimed by Ukraine’s secret services, with the most recent being the assassination of General Igor Kirillov in Moscow last December.

Pope Francis has shown slight further improvement as he continues to battle double pneumonia, though doctors emphasized Wednesday that his prognosis remains cautious.

According to a statement, Francis is undergoing respiratory physiotherapy to help clear fluid from his lungs—the first time the Vatican has confirmed he is receiving such treatment.

The 88-year-old pope has been hospitalized in critical condition since February 14 due to a severe lung infection. Already dealing with chronic lung disease, he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital after his bronchitis worsened. While doctors did not reiterate that he remains in critical condition in their latest update, they maintained that his prognosis is still uncertain.

Despite his condition, Francis resumed work from his hospital room in the afternoon after receiving the Eucharist in the morning. The Vatican also announced his approval of four new bishops and the establishment of a new fundraising initiative to address the Holy See’s ongoing financial challenges. Though the bishop appointments and fundraising plans were likely finalized before his hospitalization, their official announcement highlights that Francis remains actively involved in governance.

Pilgrims Gather at the Hospital

If Francis were to glance out his 10th-floor hospital window, he would see a growing number of well-wishers lighting candles and leaving messages near the statue of St. John Paul II at the hospital entrance. This impromptu pilgrimage site has drawn many, especially church groups in Rome for the Vatican’s Holy Year.

On Wednesday, Bishop Gerardo Villalonga from Menorca, Spain, led a group of 50 pilgrims to the site, expressing their desire to be close to the pope.

“When a family member is ill, it is important to surround them with support. The entire people of God are near the pope,” he said.

As night fell, trumpeter Felice Carella and singer Davide Capuano performed Schubert’s Ave Maria outside his window.

“For me, this is more than just a song; it’s a heartfelt prayer for the pope’s recovery,” Capuano said. “These are difficult days, and I hope the world prays with us.”

Cardinal Re to Lead Prayer Vigil

Meanwhile, the Vatican appointed Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, to lead a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday night. This decision places a key figure in any potential future conclave in the spotlight.

As depicted in the Oscar-nominated film Conclave, the dean plays a crucial role in papal successions, overseeing the funeral of a pope and organizing the conclave to elect a successor. Re, who served as prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops from 2000 to 2010, was appointed dean in 2020 and recently had his term extended by Francis despite its expiration.

Prayers from Argentina

Back in Rome, members of the Argentine community gathered for a special Mass led by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the pope’s vicar for Rome. Reina also celebrated a Mass at Gemelli hospital on Wednesday to pray for Francis’ recovery.

Sister Nilda Trejo, an Argentine nun, noted that Francis has long faced health challenges, particularly with breathing and speaking loudly, which is why she has always prayed for him.

“We knew he often struggled,” she said. “Even at Mass, they always have to turn up the microphone because he has difficulty speaking. But he always spoke to the people—to their hearts.”