Zelenskyy Reveals Ukraine Downed Shahed Drones in Middle East

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed Friday that military personnel from his country shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern nations during the recent conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. The operations, which took place before a tentative ceasefire reached this week, marked Kyiv's first public acknowledgment of direct involvement in defending allied states against the same type of drones Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy described the missions as active defensive efforts rather than training exercises, with Ukrainian forces using domestically produced interceptor drones to assist partners in building effective air defense systems. "This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defense system that can actually work," he told reporters in remarks made Wednesday but released under embargo until Friday. More than 200 Ukrainian experts, including specialists in drone defense and electronic warfare, were deployed to the region last month to operate across several countries, helping to intercept both older Shahed models and faster, more advanced variants...