NATO to provide anti-drone systems to Ukraine to counter Russian attacks

Europe, News October 20, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

NATO shall provide anti-drone systems to Ukraine amid Russia’s increasing drone and missile attacks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced during a security council in Berlin on October 18, 2022.

Russia’s recent wave of aerial attacks has targeted many of Ukraine’s major cities including the capital Kyiv. Russia is using missiles, rockets, and Iranian-made kamikaze drones to carry out attacks on infrastructure.

While addressing the security council, NATO Chief said that all allies must come together to counter these attacks by providing more air defense systems to Ukraine. “The most important thing we can do is deliver on what allies have promised, to step up and deliver even more air defense systems,” Stoltenberg said.

“NATO will in the coming days deliver counter-drone systems to counter the specific threat of drones, including those from Iran,” Jens Stoltenberg announced.

In August 2022, Iran provided Russia with much-needed attack drones to be used in its war against Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian official, Iran delivered hundreds of advanced combat drones to Russia. This includes Shahed 129/191 and Mohajer-6. Russia is using these drones to carry out attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine has asked United Nations to look into this matter and invited the UN experts to inspect what it says are Iranian-origin drones used by Russia to attack Ukrainian targets in violation of a Security Council Resolution.

A Russian drone is seen during a Russian drone strike, which local authorities consider to be Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Shahed-136, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 17, 2022 — ^{A Russian drone is seen during a Russian drone strike, which local authorities consider to be Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Shahed-136, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 17, 2022. (Image Credit: Reuters/Roman Petushkov)}

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations wrote a letter on October 18, stating that “We would like to invite UN experts to visit Ukraine at the earliest possible opportunity to inspect recovered Iranian-origin UAVs in order to facilitate implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2231.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he has asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cut all diplomatic ties with Iran over drone sales to Moscow. Iran has denied supplying any drones to Russia while Kremlin has also denied using drones to attack Ukraine.

ALSO READ: Iran to acquire Russian-made Su-35 fighter jets after selling drones to Moscow

The recent attack on Ukrainian cities started after a huge blast on Russia’s Kerch bridge, linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland. Although Ukraine never claimed the responsibility for the explosion and Russia never accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack, Ukraine had been bracing for a hard retaliation from the Russian side since the blast took place last week.

Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities have also increased since Russia appointed its Air Force Chief, General Sergei Surovikin, as the commander to oversee the war in Ukraine. Surovikin has previously led Russian forces in Syria. He was in charge of operations that lead to the heavy bombardment and eventually the destruction of Aleppo city.