War in the Middle East: Ukrainian soldiers shot down Iranian drones in several countries, acco

Ukraine Receives Interceptors in Exchange for Middle East Support

Ukrainian units have been involved in defending “several” Middle Eastern countries targeted by Iranian drones and have shot down aircraft, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured on Friday, April 10 in statements to the press.

“We showed a few countries how to work with interceptors

(drone interceptors). Did we destroy them? Yes. Did we do it in just one country? No, in several,” stated Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to the Iranian drones. The Ukrainian leader spoke during a meeting with journalists, including those from

AFP

, whose content was under embargo until Friday.

“It wasn’t a training mission or exercises, but rather

supporting the construction of a modern Iranian defense system

that actually works. Yes, there were Shahed drones shot down,” he added, referring to an Iranian-designed drone. He did not provide further details on the number of drones shot down by Kiev.

Experience Against Shahed Drones

Ukraine has sent specialized teams to combat drones in at least four Middle Eastern countries facing Iranian strikes following the start of the war triggered by Israeli-American bombings on Iran on February 28. Ukraine sought to showcase its experience in anti-aircraft defense against the Shahed drones, supplied by Tehran to Moscow and then produced by Russia itself to target Ukraine on a daily basis.

The Ukrainian leader announced this week that the military personnel sent to the Middle East for their expertise in drone warfare will continue their work in the region after the temporary ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

“In exchange for our support and expertise, we will receive various things”

, he explained.

“In some cases, this concerns interceptors to protect our energy infrastructure. In others, it is financial arrangements,” he continued, adding that Ukraine could also receive oil deliveries.