2024-04-19 00:58:22
The drones launched by Iran are the same ones that Moscow launches against Ukraine. While Israel has received help from several countries to defend itself, Ukrainians would like the same solidarity for their country.
Published on 04/15/2024 11:20 Updated on 04/19/2024 02:58
Reading time: 3 min Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting in kyiv, March 2024. (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / MAXPPP)
The Iranian attack which occurred on the night of April 13 to 14 against Israel resonates in a very particular way in Ukraine. The drones, launched by Iran, are the famous Shahed-136, identifiable by their triangular silhouette and their moped engine roar. This noise now echoes both in the Ukrainian sky and in the skies of the Middle East. This noise is mainly a “alarm signal”according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine condemns Iran’s attack on Israel using “Shahed” drones and missiles. We in Ukraine know very well the horror of similar attacks by Russia, which uses the same “Shahed” drones and Russian missiles, the same tactics of mass air strikes.
Every effort must be made to prevent…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) April 14, 2024
These cheap drones are “the instrument of two regimes which seek to spread terror”, explains the Ukrainian president (they appeared in the fall of 2022, when Tehran and Moscow announced strengthening their military cooperation). According to him, Iran’s actions – like those of Russia – threaten an entire region. And Iran’s actions – like Russia’s, can drag us in.”in an even larger conflict“. Westerners must therefore provide them with an answer “resolute and united”.
Ukrainians indeed judge Western support to be asymmetrical. 99% of the missiles and drones launched during the night from Saturday to Sunday were shot down thanks to the Iron Dome, the strategic pillar of the alliance between Israel and the United States. But Israel also received help from France, the United Kingdom and Jordan, who mobilized ultra-expensive interception technologies… even though no defense agreement required them to do so.
“We are always like beggars”
“This is the model of solidarity and defense that we would like to see here”, say several residents contacted by Whatsapp, who see it as a “double standard”. Why wouldn’t these countries show the same commitment in Ukraine, when the country continues to ask them for more support in the face of the Russian aggressor?
Katya is Ukrainian of Jewish origin. His mother and sister are currently in Israel. His nephew, an officer with a bright future in the army, died during an operation in Gaza. On Saturday, she didn’t sleep a wink all night. “Either you don’t sleep because of the Shaheds coming to your house in Ukraine, or you don’t sleep because of the news concerning Israel,” she says.
“But it’s impressive how Israel manages to protect its people. For example, my mother, she didn’t hear anything at night. So I would like Ukraine to have such potential. But oWe are always a bit like beggars, we ask with one hand: can we have some weapons? It is unfair”, It’s closed.
It is unfair that kyiv’s allies do not do more. For example, Ukraine needs Patriot systems to protect the entire country. Germany gave it one this Saturday, but kyiv currently only has a handful… while there are around a hundred around the world.
Chronicle produced as part of a trip to Ukraine organized by the “Eastern Circles” think tank
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