Ukraine has sent 201 specialists to help defend Gulf countries against Shahed drones
This is according to Al Jazeera.
Ukraine has sent 201 military experts to the Gulf states and the wider Middle East region to help local governments defend themselves against attacks by Iranian drones.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this during a speech in London before dozens of members of the UK Parliament. According to him, a further 34 Ukrainian specialists are ready for deployment.
As the head of state explained, these are experts with practical experience in countering Shahed drones. It is precisely these Iranian kamikaze drones that Russia has been using in the war against Ukraine since 2022.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian teams are already working in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and are also heading to Kuwait.
In addition, the president stated that Ukraine is cooperating with several other states, and the relevant agreements have already been concluded.
He also reported that just last week, Ukrainian military units were deployed to several Gulf states and Jordan.
Zelenskyy emphasised that Kyiv does not want to allow “the Iranian regime’s terror against its neighbours” to succeed.
During his speech, the president also said that Russia had received Shahed-136 drones from Iran, along with the technology to manufacture them and the skills to operate them.
According to him, Russia subsequently modernised these drones. Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine has “clear evidence” that the Iranian Shaheds currently in use in the region contain Russian components.
The President described such drones as a tool for “cheaply destroying expensive critical infrastructure”.
He emphasised separately that events surrounding Iran are not a distant war for Ukraine precisely because of the cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.
“The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred, and that is precisely why they are brothers in arms. And we want regimes built on hatred to never prevail in anything,” Zelenskyy stated.
Separately, the head of state drew attention to the development of Ukrainian military technologies and drone production. According to him, 90% of Russian losses on the front line in Ukraine are caused precisely by Ukrainian drones.
He stated that Ukraine has already moved from producing maritime and aerial drones to manufacturing interceptor drones. According to the president, the country is capable of producing at least 2,000 such interceptors per day.
Half of this volume, as Zelenskyy noted, is required for Ukraine’s own defence, whilst the remainder could be made available to Kyiv’s allies.
“If the Shahed needs to be stopped in the Emirates – we can do it. If it needs to be stopped in Europe or the UK – we can do it. It is a matter of technology, investment and cooperation,” he said.
Against this backdrop, US President Donald Trump reportedly stated that he does not require Ukraine’s assistance in countering Iranian drones attacking military targets in the Middle East.
Following his meeting with Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Street, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot be the one to benefit from the conflict in Iran – whether through oil prices or the lifting of sanctions”.
During Zelenskyy’s visit, London and Kyiv also signed a “defence partnership” agreement. It is said to combine Ukrainian expertise with the UK’s industrial base to produce and supply drones and new defence capabilities.
