After many years of suffering tens of thousands of Russian Shahed UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), Ukraine has now become a rare source of experience in the fight against Iranian UAVs.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will support the US and its allies in the Middle East to deal with Iranian drones, after many countries came to Kiev to learn defense experience against this weapon.
Speaking late on March 5, Mr. Zelensky said that countries such as UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have contacted Ukraine to discuss the possibility of cooperation against Shahed drones manufactured by Iran.
According to the Ukrainian leader, Kiev will only provide support if it does not weaken its own defense capabilities and at the same time helps Ukraine receive more diplomatic support in the conflict with Russia.
We are ready to help protect countries that are supporting Ukraine towards a fair solution to end the conflict with Russia," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian President later said that the US had also sent a request for support in dealing with Iranian UAVs appearing in the Middle East.
Mr. Zelensky ordered the supply of Ukrainian equipment and experts to partners, although he did not disclose specific details.
US President Donald Trump said Washington is ready to receive support from any country.
In more than 4 years of conflict, Russia has launched tens of thousands of Shahed UAVs into Ukrainian territory. At times, nighttime attacks included more than 800 drones and targets, forcing Ukraine to quickly develop cheap and effective defense solutions.
Thanks to that, Ukraine has become one of the pioneers in developing cheap UAV interceptor devices, which can cost only about 1,000 USD per system - much lower than traditional air defense systems.
Ukrainian manufacturers have also developed specialized interceptor drones, designed to track and destroy Shahed UAVs.
Ukraine's UAV industry is expanding rapidly, even having surplus capacity to supply to foreign partners.
These experiences have attracted the attention of many countries as UAV warfare is becoming increasingly popular.
An example occurred in September last year when Poland had to deploy a series of expensive weapons such as F-35 Lightning II fighters, F-16 Fighting Falcons and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters just to deal with cheap UAVs entering the airspace.
This large cost difference has prompted many countries to seek new defense solutions, in which Ukraine's experience is considered particularly valuable.
