Representatives of the Iranian community in Ukraine declared that they do not support the actions of the Iranian authorities which aid Putin’s dictatorial regime in the war against Ukraine.
On Oct. 28, members of the Iranian diaspora protested on Maidan Independence Square in Kyiv against the support of Russian aggression in Ukraine by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The goal of the action is to support the Ukrainian people, said Goreishi Mansour, the protest organizer and a fighter in the territorial defense of Kyiv.
“This action is against the killing of Ukrainians by Iranian kamikaze drones used by Russia in the war. The Iranian people are not an Islamic republic. We are part of a large Ukrainian community that fights for its right to exist, and freedom, and supports the people of Ukraine in their righteous struggle,” Mansour declared.
Members of the Iranian diaspora in Ukraine protest the actions of Iranian authorities supporting Russia’s aggression. Photo by Oleksandra Klitina
On Sept. 30, Iranians in Ukraine also held a protest action near the Embassy of Iran in Kyiv against the transfer of Iranian UAVs to Russia.
Russians have attacked numerous civilian and critical infrastructure sites across Ukraine using Iranian drones. On Oct. 17, Russian forces attacked residential area in Kyiv with kamikaze drones, five civilians were killed.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia uses at least two types of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Ukraine – the Shahid-136 kamikaze drone and the Mohajer-6 multi-purpose UAV. The Russians have repainted the UAVs in Russian army colors and named them Geran-2. Russia has ordered about 1,700 of all types of drones from Iran.
U.S. authorities claim Iran has joined the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine. Tehran has sold kamikaze drones to Moscow and sent its personnel to temporarily occupied Crimea to help attack Ukrainian cities with drones.
On Oct. 20, White House national security adviser John Kirby stated that the Iranian military was directly in Crimea assisting the Russians in their operations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 26, “Some 400 Iranian drones have already been used against Ukrainian civilians… Nevertheless, I am grateful to our military – 60-70 percent have been shot down. This is not a bad result. I feel sorrow for all those who have lost loved ones to Iranian drone attacks.”
