Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press conference at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, western Japan, Sunday, May 21, 2023. Louise Delmotte/Pool via REUTERS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Iranians on Wednesday to reconsider the supply of deadly drones to Russia in order to stop their slide into “the dark side of history.”
Iranian-made Shahed drones supplied to Moscow have played a major role in Russia’s attacks on cities and infrastructure, though Zelenskiy said Kyiv’s air defenses were now skilled at downing them – about 900 of 1,160 aimed at Ukrainian targets.
“The simple question is this: what is your interest in being an accomplice to Russian terror?” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
READ: Ukraine military says all 35 drones Russia launched overnight destroyed
“What is the benefit to Iran of such cynical killing? By Russian hands, but with your weapons, your weapons…Your Shaheds, which terrorize Ukraine every night, mean only that the people of Iran are being driven deeper and deeper into the dark side of history.”
Russia has boosted its military cooperation with Iran since it launched its invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
Iran initially denied supplying Shahed drones to Russia but later said it had provided a small number before the conflict began.
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