Ukraine’s government said it has sent more than 200 military anti-drone defense experts to the Middle East to help allied countries in the Gulf protect themselves from attacks by Iranian-made drones. The announcement was made this Tuesday (17) by President Volodymyr Zelensky during a speech at the United Kingdom Parliament, in London.
According to Zelensky, 201 Ukrainian specialists are already working in the region and another 34 are ready to be deployed. The Ukrainian president said the teams were sent following requests from international partners in the face of an increase in attacks by Iran and its allied group with Shahed drones against American bases in the Gulf countries.
“These are military experts who know how to help and how to defend themselves against Shahed drones. Our teams are already in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and on the way to Kuwait”, declared Zelensky.
According to the Ukrainian government, the experience accumulated in combating Iranian drones during the war against Russia allowed the country to develop defense techniques and systems that are now being shared with allies. Since 2022, Russian forces have used adapted versions of Shahed drones in attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Zelensky stated that Ukraine also has the industrial capacity to expand the production of interceptor drones and that it can manufacture around 2,000 units per day, and can allocate part of this volume to strengthen allies’ defense systems.
