Ukraine Deploys Units to Five Middle East Countries to Intercept Drones

Cyprus Mail

Wild Hornets engineers prepare for the flight of Sting interceptor drones at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

Ukraine has deployed specialist teams to five Middle Eastern countries to help intercept drones and advise on air-defence measures, Ukrain's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Friday.

President Zelenskiy said ‌teams had been sent to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan, states that have come under fire during the Iran war.

He said that local air defence units were dealing with ballistic missiles, while Ukrainian specialists were focused on the waves of Iran's Shahed drones.

"I believe no one has experience comparable to ours," President Zelenskiy told journalists in audio messages on a WhatsApp chat, adding that 228 Ukrainian specialists were now in the region.

"We are working with the Middle East – with leaders, at the technical level, and with ministries of defence. In general, we are preparing serious arrangements and ⁠agreements," he said.

His security council secretary Rustem Umerov has visited all five of those countries this week, and said earlier on Friday that further steps for "long-term security cooperation" had been outlined with each, without giving details.

Kyiv has said nearly a dozen countries have sought its help and advice in defending against cheap kamikaze drones, which Iran is using against its Gulf neighbours. Russia has launched similar drones at Ukraine since its 2022 invasion, and Kyiv has developed its own advanced interceptor drone capabilities.

Although Gulf states operate sophisticated U.S.-made air defence systems, the missiles they use are in short supply and they cost much more than Iran's Shahed drones.

Moscow has bombarded Ukraine with nearly 60,000 Shaheds and similar systems. It initially bought thousands of them from Iran, before establishing its own production facilities to make them under licence. Ukraine has also launched drone attacks at Russia, although on a smaller scale.

Umerov said on Friday that drone interception units were initially protecting civilian and critical ‌infrastructure, and ⁠work was under way to expand their coverage areas.

The teams were using Ukrainian technology to counter drone attacks and partners were consulting with them, he said.

Source: Reuters



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