Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that 20,000 air defense missiles originally promised to Ukraine to counter Shahed drones were instead redirected to the Middle East.
The missiles, designed specifically to intercept Iranian-made kamikaze drones used by Russia, were part of an agreement reportedly negotiated under the Biden administration. However, Zelenskyy said the delivery never came through.
"We counted on this project—20,000 missiles, between us. Anti-Shahed missiles. It wasn't expensive, but it’s special technology. We were relying on these 20,000 missiles. This morning, my Minister of Defense informed me that the United States had redirected them to the Middle East," Zelenskyy told ABC News.
Russia has made extensive use of kamikaze drones to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. The Ukrainian military has struggled to effectively counter these threats due to the speed and low flight altitude of the Shahed drones.
Zelenskyy also warned that Russia has ramped up drone production, thanks in part to covert support from China, which is reportedly supplying spare parts to the Russian defense industry.
(QG - Source: RBC Ukraine - Picture : © Unsplash)
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