Israel enters the conflict between Russia and Ukraine; Assisting Kiev with intelligence on Iranian kamikaze drones

Beginning on October 10, Russian forces intensified their use of kamikaze, or suicide drones, to attack targets deep inside Ukrainian territory. While Kiev’s air defenses were overwhelmed by the onslaught of attacks, Israel, which had been neutral in the war until now, stepped in.

Russia will save ‘expensive missiles’ for bigger threats; Developing an anti-drone robotic complex to shoot down low-cost drones

Senior Ukrainian Official Claims Israel Is Providing Ukraine With “Basic Intelligence” Regarding Iran’s Suicide Drones Widely Used By Russian Military, New York Times registered.

According to the report, an anonymous Ukrainian official said that an Israeli security company provided the Ukrainians with satellite images of Russian military positions. This is one of the first such cases of military assistance by the Zionist state, which has decided to stay out of the war due to its security and political interests.

Ukrainian forces have reportedly shot down 50 suicide drones this week, including nine in one day alone. A Ukrainian official said the drones were not as effective as Moscow had planned because they were “slow” and “easy to shoot”.

EurAsian Times could not independently verify the number of downed drones, but these kamikaze drones have found popularity among Russian troops despite their shortcomings.

⚡️Israel Passes Intelligence on Iranian Drones and Satellite Images to Ukraine — The New York Times

Basically, Israel is waging a war against its enemy Iran in Ukraine. Here the interests of Kyiv and Jerusalem coincided.

— Ukraine NOW (@UkraineNowMedia) October 13, 2022

After a huge explosion rocked the strategic Crimean bridge, Russia began a massive bombardment of Kiev and other urban centers, firing some 83 cruise missiles and several other Iranian kamikaze drones.

And not only that, on October 14, the first instance of an Iranian kamikaze shooting down a Ukrainian fighter jet became public.

EurAsian Times reported that a Ukrainian fighter jet MiG-29 an Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drone used by the Russian army was shot down. A fighter plane of one of the tactical aviation brigades crashed near Vinnytsia while on a combat mission to shoot down enemy kamikaze drones, known as “Shahed-136”, the Ukrainian Air Force announced in Facebook post.

Interesting! A Ukrainian MiG-29 shoots down a Geran-2, proximity suggests, using its gun. The drone explodes on impact and falls to the ground. Apparently the MiG-29 itself went down, probably due to a shrapnel hit from an exploding Geran-2! https://t.co/2DlLwt7l1k

— Vijainder K Thakur (@vkthakur) October 12, 2022

Despite Washington’s warnings to Tehran to refrain from arms exports, Russia acquired hundreds of Iranian Shahed-136 drones, known as Geran-2, in September. Russian troops have also deployed several low-cost Iranian drones, such as the Mohajer.

Furthermore, Ukraine’s stockpile of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) appears to be dwindling, which is crucial for the Ukrainian military to prevent the Russian Air Force from gaining air superiority. As a result, the Russian military’s use of Iranian-made Kamikaze drones added to the woes of Ukraine’s air defense systems.

Kamikaze drones offer Russia a disposable and affordable replacement for its valuable, expensive aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles. This is where the Israeli intelligence services come into play, although the Israeli administration has not officially acknowledged this.

For its part, Israel monitors Iranian drones that Russia uses to attack Ukraine. According to some reports, Israeli drone experts have been in Ukraine for some time to examine the Iranian drones that Kiev managed to shoot down.

Israel adds that there is a chance that Iranian drones could target Uman, home to a significant Israeli community.

Is Israel choosing sides?

Israel has long called for an end to the fighting, but has been cautious about providing military aid to Ukraine. However, given that its bitterest rival and most powerful enemy has allied itself with Russia, it seems that it is becoming increasingly interested in the dispute.

In a September interview with CNN, President Volodymyr Zelensky cited Israel as one of five nations with the technology to assist the Ukrainians in airstrikes. Zelensky has often asked Israel to supply air defense systems like the Iron Dome.

Israel has maintained relations with Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, particularly in light of Russia’s military presence in neighboring Syria, where Israel’s air force frequently targets armed groups linked to Iran.

Moscow and Tel Aviv remain committed to an ongoing channel of engagement on issues in Syria.

In addition, Israel is believed to be concerned about how a strong pro-Ukrainian state would affect the Jewish community in Russia. Israel has ignored several Ukrainian requests for air defense systems, even as one of its closest allies, the US, has delivered millions of dollars worth of military equipment to Kiev.

Israel has some of the best air defense systems in the world, including the Arrow 3, Iron Dome, and the latest and most advanced Iron Beam laser-based missile defense system.

After the attack on the Crimean bridge, the US accelerated the delivery of its NASAMS to Ukraine, while the German IRIS-T system has already reached the besieged country.

While Israel has not yet committed to any tangible military aid to Kiev, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister publication Zman Yisrael revealed in September that Ukraine was receiving anti-drone technology from a private Israeli defense contractor.

According to that report, the technology was sold to Warsaw and then transferred to Kiev to overcome Jerusalem’s decision not to give Ukraine state-of-the-art defense weapons. If the news about the transfer of intelligence to Ukraine is authentic, Israel rose to the occasion and chose Ukraine to support.