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'Disinformation' — Kyiv denies report that Iran destroyed Ukrainian drone depot in Dubai

2 min read
'Disinformation' — Kyiv denies report that Iran destroyed Ukrainian drone depot in Dubai
Illustrative image: Ukrainian interceptor drones, funded by the Prytula Foundation. The foundation reported that each drone costs under $2,000 and is successful in downing Shahed-type drones. (The Prytula Foundation/Facebook)

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on March 28 denied a report that Iranian forces destroyed a facility containing Ukrainian weapons and military personnel in Dubai.

The report comes as Ukraine forges closer ties with partners in the Middle East, leveraging its expertise in intercepting Iranian drones as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran drags into its second month.

The Fars News Agency, an Iranian outlet with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported earlier on March 28 that Iran struck a Ukrainian drone depot in Dubai with a missile. The facility contained Ukrainian "anti-drone systems" and 21 Ukrainians, who were "likely killed," according to the outlet.

"This is a lie, we officially deny this information," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters.

"The Iranian regime often conducts such disinformation operations — and this is no different from the Russians."

President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently visiting countries in the Middle East, signing 10-year defense partnerships with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE that may exchange Ukraine's anti-drone expertise for weapons production and energy support.

Ukraine, which has years of experience fending off Iranian-made Shahed drones, has in recent weeks provided air defense support to Gulf nations facing missile and drone attacks from neighboring Iran amid the ongoing war.

This support led Iranian politician Ebrahim Azizi to call Ukrainian territory "a legitimate target for Iran" in a social media post on March 14, a claim the Foreign Ministry dismissed as "absurd."


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Abbey Fenbert

Senior News Editor

Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.

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