WEB DESK: President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday that Ukraine has received a formal request from the United States for assistance in countering Iranian Shahed drones in the Middle East, and has ordered the deployment of Ukrainian specialists to the region.
“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ‘shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security” .
The request comes as the conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran enters its sixth day, with Iranian forces launching drone attacks on US military bases across Gulf states including Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain .
Ukraine has developed world-leading expertise in countering Shahed drones since Russia began using them extensively in its four-year invasion. Ukrainian manufacturers now produce low-cost interceptor drones, some costing as little as $1,000 to $2,000, that are specifically designed to hunt and destroy the Iranian-designed munitions .
