UAWIRE

 Thursday, March 12, 2026 10:07:14 PM

During a press conference with Romanian President Nicușor Dan, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the first attacks on Ukraine using Shahed drones were carried out by Iranian drone operators, while Russian military personnel were learning from them at the time.

Zelensky said Russian operators were trained under real wartime conditions.

Zelensky was responding to a question about whether Ukraine’s assistance to Middle Eastern countries in countering Iranian drones could open “a new front for Ukraine itself.” In response, the president said Iran has long been involved in the war as a Russian ally, and that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has been well documented.

The Ukrainian president also said Kyiv has already sent three “serious” groups of experts to assist partners. He added that if more specialists are needed, Ukraine is ready to consider that possibility.

“But I think all of this experience is very important. I spoke today with our group, with Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council — he is there together with our military. He said the partners are very satisfied with the cooperation,” Zelensky said.

On March 9, Zelensky said Ukraine had received 11 requests for assistance from various countries, including states neighboring Iran, European countries and the United States.

Kyiv offered Ukrainian drones to Persian Gulf countries. The president said he considers an exchange of drones for PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems to be equal and mutually beneficial.

It was later reported that Zelensky had agreed to send military personnel to the Middle East to shoot down Shahed drones. Ukraine promised to dispatch its specialists after a request from the Trump administration, Kyiv said.

In his first address to the nation, the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, announced that if the war continues, Iran will activate “other fronts,” though he did not explain what exactly he meant.