Zelensky Reveals Russia Supplying Drones to Iran, Sends Experts to Aid U.S. Defense | WPN World People News

In a clip from a CNN interview broadcast on the 15th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia has supplied “Shahed” drones to Iran, which have been used against the United States and Israel.

Speaking with CNN host Fareed Zakaria, Zelenskyy said Iran had used Russian-made Shahed drones to attack U.S. military bases, stressing that the claim was “100 percent true.” According to Reuters, while the precise manufacturing origins of the drones are sometimes unclear, the Shahed series has been linked to multiple attacks across the Middle East. The drone was originally developed by Iran and is considered a far cheaper strike weapon than conventional missiles.

According to Ukraine, these drones were first deployed on a large scale during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since the autumn of 2022, Russian forces have launched thousands of Shahed drones. Although they were initially supplied by Iran, Russia is now capable of producing them domestically. Meanwhile, other militaries have increasingly adopted similar drone systems, including the U.S. military. Washington has noted that drones have also been incorporated into its current military operations related to Iran.

In recent days, Zelenskyy also spoke with 25 domestic and international media outlets about Ukraine’s current situation and how it has countered the threat posed by Russian Shahed suicide drones. He said that after years of war, Ukraine has accumulated extensive battlefield experience in defending against such attacks. As tensions in the Middle East intensify, the United States has sought related technology and operational expertise from Kyiv. Zelenskyy confirmed that, at Washington’s request, Ukraine has dispatched a team of drone experts to a U.S. military base in Jordan to assist with defense efforts.

For years, Ukraine had appealed to the United States and European allies for air defense systems. However, through its prolonged struggle against Russian drone attacks, Kyiv has gradually developed mature defensive capabilities. By providing technical support and experience to the United States, Ukraine hopes to highlight its battlefield value and turn these advantages into diplomatic leverage in future negotiations with Russia.