On March 12, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a statement that could significantly affect the perception of Iran’s role in the war against Ukraine. During a joint press conference with the President of Romania, he directly stated: the first Shahed kamikaze drone attacks on Ukrainian cities were conducted with the participation of Iranian operators.
This statement was made in response to journalists’ questions about possible risks for Ukraine in the Middle East. The discussion was about whether helping partners against Iranian drones creates the threat of a ‘second front’ for Kyiv.
According to Zelensky, the events of the first months of Shahed’s use in Ukraine show that Tehran was actually involved in combat operations from the very beginning.
How the first Shaheds were launched and who operated them
What Zelensky said
Answering journalists’ questions, the President of Ukraine stated that Ukrainian intelligence and the military have a clear understanding of how the first drone attacks occurred.
“We know how the first ‘Shaheds’ were launched. There were no Russian operators. There were operators from another country. The country from where the ‘Shaheds’ came, because they needed to be trained. And they were trained in real warfare,” Zelensky said.
In fact, it is about the fact that at the early stage of using Iranian drones, Russian military did not have sufficient experience in their operation. According to the President of Ukraine, the training took place directly in combat conditions — on the territory of Ukraine.
Why this statement is important
If Zelensky’s words are confirmed by allied intelligence, it means that Iran not only supplied weapons to Russia but also participated in their combat use.
Such a scenario significantly changes the international legal assessment of the situation. Arms supplies can be considered as support for one of the parties to the conflict, but the participation of military specialists in combat operations is already the actual involvement of a state in the war.
For Israel, this moment is of particular importance. Tehran has long been considered the main regional adversary, and its military technologies — from missiles to drones — are actively spread through a network of allied groups in the Middle East.
That is why the topic of Shahed is being discussed not only in Kyiv or Brussels but also in Jerusalem.
Why the story with ‘Shaheds’ concerns Israel
Iranian technologies and global export of war
In recent years, Iranian Shahed drones have become one of the symbols of modern asymmetric warfare. Relatively cheap, easy to produce, and effective against civilian infrastructure, they are actively used by Russia against Ukrainian cities.
But this type of weapon is well known in the Israeli context as well.
Such technologies are spread through Iran’s network of allies in the Middle East — from Lebanon to Yemen. That is why Ukraine’s experience in combating such drones is being carefully studied by Israeli military analysts.
In the Israeli expert community, the question has long been discussed: can Ukraine’s experience in fighting Shahed help counter similar threats from pro-Iranian groups.
In this context, many materials and analyses are published on the platform НАновости — Новости Израиля | Nikk.Agency, where the intersections of Russia’s war against Ukraine and Middle East security are regularly analyzed.
General technological threat
For Israel, the problem of Iranian drones is not abstract.
The technologies used in Ukraine are part of a broader weapons system developed by Iran. These systems are already used or can be used by Tehran’s allies in the region.
Therefore, Ukraine’s experience in countering such drones — from electronic warfare systems to new air defense tactics — becomes a subject of international information exchange between partners.
And it is here that an interesting geopolitical link arises: the war in Eastern Europe and Middle East security are technologically interconnected.
Why Kyiv considers Iran a hostile state
Ukraine’s position
After Zelensky’s statement, it became even clearer why Kyiv increasingly speaks of Iran’s direct role in the war.
According to the Ukrainian president, the participation of Iranian specialists in launching the first drones means that Tehran was actually helping Russia conduct combat operations against Ukraine.
“Thus, Iran has long been a hostile state for Ukraine,” Zelensky emphasized.
This explains why Ukraine is actively participating in international initiatives to limit the supply of Iranian technologies and supports diplomatic and sanction measures against Tehran.
Geopolitical link Ukraine — Israel
For the Israeli audience, this issue sounds especially familiar.
For decades, Iran has been the main source of military threat to Israel. Its missile programs, drone technologies, and network of allied armed groups are considered in Jerusalem as a key factor of regional instability.
Therefore, Kyiv’s statements about the direct participation of Iranian operators in the war against Ukraine actually confirm what Israeli analysts have long been saying: Iranian military technologies are becoming a tool of global conflict.
What Zelensky’s statement means for international politics
The statement of the President of Ukraine was made against the backdrop of growing attention to Iran’s role in global security.
On one hand, it is about Russia’s war against Ukraine and the use of Iranian drones in the European theater of military operations. On the other hand, it is about tensions in the Middle East, where Iranian technologies are used by Tehran’s allies.
For Israel, this situation is particularly indicative. Ukraine’s experience shows how quickly Iranian technologies can scale and be used in different regions of the world.
That is why in the Israeli expert community, the thought is increasingly heard: the war in Ukraine and Israel’s security are today much more closely linked than it seemed just a few years ago.
