Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of providing Iran with Shahed drones for attacks targeting the United States and Israel, according to a CNN interview segment broadcast Saturday.
Speaking with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Zelenskyy declared it is “100% facts” that Iran has deployed Russian-manufactured Shahed drones against American military installations.
While Shahed drones have been connected to additional strikes throughout the Middle East region, the origin of their production has not always been definitively established.
Iran originally developed the Shahed drone technology as a cost-effective substitute for costly missile systems. These unmanned aircraft gained widespread attention during Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, where Ukrainian officials report that Russian forces have deployed thousands of these drones since autumn 2022.
While Iran initially supplied these drones to Russia, Moscow has since established its own Shahed production capabilities. Various military forces worldwide have now incorporated Shahed-style drone technology, including American armed forces, which have indicated these weapons are being utilized in current operations targeting Iran.
