Kyiv, Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine has sent air defence teams to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to help them counter Iran’s aerial attacks. He said the teams should all be in place this week.
Deployments to Gulf states and Jordan
Zelenskiy told reporters Ukraine had sent “three professional, equipped teams” to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, without giving further details. His communications adviser said Ukrainian specialists had also been deployed to a U.S. military base in Jordan, without providing details.
Gulf demand for Ukraine’s drone-defence experience
Zelenskiy said Gulf states had expended large quantities of air-defence missiles to counter Iran’s attack drones and had sought Ukraine’s expertise in downing them. He said Kyiv downs Russian drones nightly using an array of weaponry, including cheaper, smaller drones or jamming equipment.
Role of pilots and interceptor drone operations
Zelenskiy said the presence of Ukrainian pilots was key to the effectiveness of interceptor drone operations. He said countries that were quietly buying interceptors had realised that without Ukraine’s military operators and software, “the interceptors simply don’t work.”
Ukraine seeks to leverage its experience and secure missiles
Since the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28, Zelenskiy said Ukraine has sought to leverage its experience countering Russia’s Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones. Kyiv says Russia, which now manufactures them itself, has launched more than 57,000 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine so far.
Reuters reported last week that the U.S. and Qatar were looking to buy interceptor drones from Ukraine as a cheaper alternative to missiles for downing Shaheds. Asked what Ukraine would get in return for deploying specialist teams, Zelenskiy said Ukraine was seeking air defence missiles above all else.
What impact could Ukraine’s air defence expertise have on how Gulf states respond to drone attacks?