Ukraine diplomat urges strikes on Russian drone

Moscow's shipment of modernized drones to Iran made Russian drone production sites legitimate military targets, a top Ukrainian diplomat said on Monday, urging Western powers to equip Ukraine with weapons capable of hitting those sites.



Ukraine's permanent representative to the United Nations, Andriy Melnyk, said Russia's support of Tehran with modernized versions of its Iranian-designed Shahed drones and other military support, meant it was now Tehran's main accomplice in the war.



Moscow had used the Shahed drones against Ukraine since early in its full-scale invasion in February 2022.



Russia's shipments of modernized versions of Iran's Shahed drones, using licenses provided by Tehran, marked an unprecedented escalation that would allow Iran to attack Gulf countries and U.S. forces in the region for a long period, destabilizing the region and threatening the global economy, Melnyk said.

As a result, Russian drone production sites should be considered "legitimate targets for military strikes in the campaign against the mullah regime," he said. Ukraine was already hitting Russian drone production facilities given the threats the weapons posed to its people and infrastructure, but could be more effective with new weapons and resources, he said.