Ukrainian Drone Experts Deployed to Protect Gulf Infrastructure From Iranian Attacks

Zelenskyy said Kyiv had sent specialists to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE to help them combat Iranian drone attacks.

An instructor from the Ukrainian company General Cherry demonstrates the operation of an anti-air interceptor drone designed to destroy Russian attack drones in the Kyiv region on March 11, 2026. Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo

Ukrainian security ‌council ⁠secretary Rustem ‌Umerov said on March 20 that Kyiv had ‌deployed interceptor ⁠units to protect infrastructure from Iranian drone attacks in five Middle East nations.

In a post on X, Umerov—who was Ukrainian defense minister until July 2025—said he had visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last week and held meetings with the leadership of all five countries.