Zelensky says 11 countries asking Ukraine for drone help against Iran

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that 11 countries had tapped Kyiv for help in how to counter Iranian drones being fired by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.

Ukraine has to fend off nightly barrages of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones launched by Russia, an ally of Tehran.

They now being used in strikes across the Middle East.

“As of now, there are 11 requests from countries neighbouring Iran, European states, and the US. There is clear interest in Ukraine’s experience in protecting lives, relevant interceptors, electronic warfare systems and training,” Zelensky said.

He did not specify which countries.

Some Ukrainian drone experts are already en route to the Middle East and are due there this week, Zelensky said over the weekend.

Also read: US asked Ukraine for support in drone protection in Middle East: Zelensky

Ukraine has proposed swapping Kyiv’s drone interceptors – drones designed to intercept incoming attack craft mid-air – for expensive air defence missiles that Kyiv is in short supply of.

Beyond interceptors, Kyiv has gained a “body of knowledge and skills” that it could share with allies, said Igor Fedirko, CEO at the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry.

“No one in the world has the expertise and experience that we do. We use combined systems, acoustic detectors and sensors. We use early warning systems, different types of radars,” he told AFP.

According to Ukraine air force data, the military has been consistently intercepting or shooting down more than 80 percent of all incoming Russian drones – hundreds of which are fired every night.

Kyiv uses a mix of cheap drone interceptors, electronic jamming tools, anti-aircraft guns, fighter jets and helicopters to defend its skies from the Russian attacks.

“These technologies that we paid a huge price for, with the blood and death of citizens and soldiers, cannot be just handed over for free,” Fedirko said.