Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian electronic warfare systems and interceptors have been used to shoot down Iranian attack drones in the Gulf. At a press conference on Wednesday night, Zelensky said in response to questions from the British media that the Ukrainian military team sent to many countries in the Middle East last month had achieved "positive" results and had intercepted Iranian "Shahed" suicide drones in "multiple" Gulf countries where US military facilities are stationed.
"Did we destroy them? Yes, we did." He said that he had seen video footage of Ukrainian weapons shooting down Iranian suicide drones. This type of drone caused serious damage in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Zelensky said: “In those countries that open their air defense systems to us, our experts can quickly provide advice to help these countries strengthen their air defense systems.”
Since the conflict broke out in late February, Iranian drones have repeatedly attacked U.S. military bases in the region, causing casualties among U.S. military personnel. Since Russia used such drones in its war against Ukraine at the end of 2022, Ukraine has been confronting it for many years.
Zelensky said in his office in Kiev that Ukraine’s advanced technology has successfully intercepted Iran’s old Shahd drones, as well as new models that are faster and more maneuverable.
"We also shot down a drone equipped with a jet engine." He said that this was a "very positive signal" and meant that Ukraine could "start mass production of interceptors capable of shooting down jet drones."
He declined to name the country that shot down the drone due to security concerns. However, he said that in March, more than 200 Ukrainian experts, Ukrainian-made interception drones and electronic warfare equipment had been deployed to the Middle East and Gulf countries.
He previously revealed that Ukrainian experts have been sent to the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He also said that at least 11 countries, including the United States, have requested Ukraine to provide expertise in countering Iranian drones.
Zelenskiy hopes to transform Ukraine's defense technology into lucrative security cooperation projects while growing the country's military industry. He visited the Gulf region last week to discuss defense cooperation with leaders of many countries and said he had signed a number of long-term agreements.
"We have reached a 10-year cooperation agreement with three countries. Ukrainian companies will cooperate with the military of these countries to protect specific facilities." The president said, "We are currently conducting security negotiations with Oman, and are also negotiating with Kuwait and Bahrain."
Zelensky declined to name the Ukrainian company that produces the technology. But he believes that domestically produced drone interceptors (priced at $1,000 to $3,000 each) are more cost-effective than air defense missiles - such as the Patriot interceptor, which costs millions of dollars each. During the Middle East conflict, several Gulf states used the latter to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones. By comparison, the Witness drone used by Russia costs about $30,000. Companies that produce combat-proven bullet-fired interceptor drones, such as Wild Hornets, Skyfall and General Cherry, have all received requests for assistance from Gulf states. British media reported last month that Russia was about to complete the phased delivery of its drones to Iran.
Zelensky proposed to the Gulf countries and the United States to exchange Ukrainian technology for PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors required for the Patriot air defense system. Ukraine urgently needs these equipment to defend against Russian ballistic missiles.
Throughout the winter, Russian missiles and Shahd-type drones continued to attack Ukrainian energy facilities, plunging the country into severe cold and darkness, and bringing the capital, Kiev, to the brink of disaster.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone strikes against Russian oil and gas facilities. British media reported on Monday that Ukraine's long-range drone operations in the Baltic Sea are weakening Russia's ability to profit from rising crude oil prices caused by war in the Middle East and exposing the shortcomings of Russia's anti-drone defenses.
When asked by the media why the accuracy of Ukrainian drones has significantly improved, especially the accuracy of long-range strikes, Zelensky said that this was due to new breakthroughs in Ukrainian technology and a more precise focus on strike targets (including Russian air defense systems).
He said: "First of all, the effectiveness of our drones has been greatly improved, and technology is advancing with each passing day. Secondly, we sometimes carry out multi-target strike operations, and sometimes we choose to focus on a single target."