Russia is supplying Iran with Shahed drones to use against the U.S. and Israel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an interview excerpt aired on Saturday.
Zelensky told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that it is "100% facts" that Iran has used Russian-made Shaheds to attack U.S. bases.
Shahed drones have been linked to other attacks on countries in the region, although their manufacturers are not always clear.
Iran pioneered the Shahed drone, a much cheaper alternative to expensive missiles. They first saw mass use in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where thousands of them have been launched by Russian forces since fall 2022, according to the Ukrainians.
Although Iran initially provided the drones, Russia now manufactures its own Shaheds. The armed forces of other countries have since adopted Shahed-type drones, including the U.S. military, which has said they are part of the current campaign against Iran.
Zelensky’s remarks come as Israel seeks to expand cooperation with Ukraine on countering Iranian-designed drones. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked to hold a phone call with Zelensky, according to Israeli and Ukrainian officials, in what appears to be part of a broader effort to deepen coordination on drone defense.
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Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha inspect a Russian Shahed-type drone in Kyiv, Ukraine
(Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk confirmed that the request had been conveyed, though the conversation had not yet taken place because of scheduling constraints. He said he hoped the leaders would speak early this week.
The expected discussion reflects Israel’s interest in drawing on Ukraine’s extensive battlefield experience against Shahed drones, which Russia has used heavily throughout the war. Ukrainian forces have developed a range of interception tactics, including the use of electronic warfare systems and counter-drones, allowing them in many cases to avoid relying solely on expensive interceptor missiles.
Korniychuk said Ukraine has shared intelligence with both Israel and the United States and is continuing to strengthen security cooperation against the Iranian threat.
“There are discussions that do not stop even for a moment between our intelligence services and Israel’s,” he said. “As ambassador I do not need to know everything, but clearly we are strengthening cooperation against the Iranian threat in the region.”
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A downed Russian Shahed-type drone in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast
(Photo: Ivan SAMOILOV / AFP)
He also linked Ukraine’s position to Iran’s downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020, when Iranian forces shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
“We support all our partners, especially after Iran shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane without compensation or acknowledgment,” Korniychuk said.
He added that Iran had supplied drone technology to Russia early in the war and said Kyiv would continue backing countries confronting Iranian attacks.
“We are not afraid of Iran,” he said. “We should be on the right side of history and civilization. We will support all our partners, including Israel in this operation.”
The cooperation has grown more visible in recent days. Earlier this week, Zelensky said Ukraine had sent drone interception systems along with a team of specialists and operators to Jordan to help defend U.S. military bases there. He has also said that more than a dozen countries have approached Ukraine for help in countering Iranian-made drones.
Speaking Friday during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Zelensky said Ukraine is prepared to share what it has learned from years of war with Russia.
“Ukraine now has the world’s greatest expertise in fighting Shaheds,” he said, adding that effective defense requires not only interceptor systems but also trained personnel, radar and integrated air defense networks.
Iran, for its part, has accused Ukraine of aiding Israel and has threatened retaliation. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security and foreign policy committee in Iran’s parliament, said Ukraine’s alleged support for Israel had made it a legitimate target.
“By providing support to the Israeli regime with drones, the collapsing Ukraine has in fact become involved in the war,” Azizi wrote on X. “According to Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, this has turned all of its territory into a legitimate target for Iran.”
Azizi did not specify how Ukraine was allegedly assisting Israel.
Separately, Russian officials have protested to Israel over strikes near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, where Russian experts are stationed, highlighting the increasingly tangled overlap between the war in Ukraine and the broader confrontation involving Iran, Israel and the United States.