Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of supplying Shahed attack drones to Iran, which Iran then uses to strike US military bases and Israeli targets. Meanwhile, Ukraine is facing a major air assault from Russia and warns that the Middle East conflict may complicate the supply of defensive weapons.
In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Russia is providing Shahed attack drones to Iran for use against US military bases and Israeli targets in the Middle East. Zelensky stated that this information is "100 percent factual" and noted that Iran has already used Russian-made Shahed drones to attack US bases.
The Shahed drone is a low-cost unmanned attack aircraft developed by Iran as a cheaper alternative to expensive missiles. It was widely deployed for the first time during the Ukraine war after Russia launched its invasion in 2022. Ukrainian officials say Russia has fired thousands of these drones.
Although Iran initially supplied these drones to Russia, Russia has now developed domestic production of the same drone type. Meanwhile, militaries of several countries, including the US, have adopted similar drone concepts. The Ukrainian leader also accused Russia of trying to exploit the Middle East war to increase pressure on Ukraine and reiterated his country's urgent need for air defense systems.
Zelensky's remarks came after Russia launched a large-scale air assault on Ukraine from Friday night into Saturday morning, killing at least five people. About 500 drones and missiles were launched. While Ukraine's air defenses intercepted many of these weapons, damage still occurred across multiple areas nationwide.
Zelensky said the primary targets of the recent attack were energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region, but residential buildings, schools, and civilian businesses were also damaged.
Ukrainian officials reported that attacks in the Kyiv region killed at least four people and injured many others. Meanwhile, strikes on residential areas near the city of Zaporizhzhia caused one death and 18 injuries.
The assault involved about 430 drones and 68 missiles. Although not Russia's largest attack, it was among the most intense operations in recent months.
Zelensky posted on social media that Russia may be attempting to use the Middle East war as an opportunity to inflict further damage in Europe and Ukraine. He also warned that the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran is consuming large quantities of air defense missiles in the Middle East, which could affect future arms supplies to Ukraine.
At the same time, the global oil supply crisis triggered by Iran's threat to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz—an important oil shipping route—could benefit Russia's war economy.
After oil prices surged near $100 per barrel, the US government under President Donald Trump temporarily eased some sanctions on Russian oil to stabilize global energy prices. Although Russia welcomed this decision, Zelensky and many European leaders strongly criticized the measure.
Additionally, the conflict between Israel and Iran has disrupted US-led peace negotiations aimed at ending the more than four-year-long war in Ukraine.