Zelenskyy says Ukrainian interceptors downed Iran drones in the Middle East 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that his country’s technology was used to shoot down Iranian drones in the Middle East, after he had announced last month that expert teams had been deployed to the region following the outbreak of the United States-Israeli war on Iran.

In a post on X on Friday, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces took part in operations using domestically produced interceptor drones against “Shahed” drones, simillar to those used by Russia during its ongoing war on Ukraine.

“Did we destroy Iranian ‘shaheds?’ Yes, we did. Did we do it in just one country? No, in several. And in my view, this is a success,” Zelenskyy said in remarks to journalists, without elaborating on which country was aided.

“This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defence system that can actually work. In those countries that opened up their air defence systems to us, our experts were able to very quickly advise how to make those systems stronger,” he said.

“We also shot down drones with jet engines. This is a very good signal, I think. We showed that this works. Now it is only a matter of time before we begin mass production of interceptors that will destroy drones with jet engines,” he added.

Kyiv has used cheap drone interceptors that shoot down Russian drones before they reach their targets.

With the US and Iran observing a two-week ceasefire, the Ukrainian leader said personnel had been operating in several countries to support their air defences, having previously confirmed that 228 Ukrainian experts had been deployed.

In exchange for his country’s support, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv was receiving weapons to protect its energy infrastructure and, in some cases, financial arrangements.

Last month, Zelenskyy visited several Gulf nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. During his visits, the Ukrainian leader signed defence agreements with the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

While Zelenskyy warned that the coming months would be difficult for Ukraine amid growing battlefield pressure, partners continued to supply Kyiv with air defence systems, with new Patriot systems arriving in recent days, he said.