Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 228 Ukrainian counter-drone specialists are now working in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with further cooperation underway with Kuwait and Jordan, RBC-Ukraine reported on March 20.
"Already not 210 but 228 of our experts are in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We are also working with Kuwait and Jordan. I will not disclose the details," Zelenskiy said.
The deployment positions Ukraine as a direct contributor to Gulf air defences at a time when Iran has launched more than 1,600 drones at the UAE alone and hundreds more at Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain since the war began on February 28.
Ukraine has developed extensive expertise in counter-drone warfare through its own conflict with Russia, where it has faced sustained attacks from Iranian-designed Shahed drones.
Kyiv has been keen to export that knowledge as both a revenue source and a means of strengthening ties with wealthy Gulf partners.
The arrangement also carries a geopolitical dimension. Iran has supplied Russia with attack drones used against Ukrainian cities, making the deployment of Ukrainian specialists to defend Gulf states from Iranian drones a pointed reversal.
Zelensky did not elaborate on whether the specialists were providing training, operating systems or advising on procurement.
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