Zelensky, who is not just slammed for being demanding and needy of financial aid from the United States, is also fighting corruption charges. On January 9, Zelensky's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, said an audit had uncovered corruption connected to military procurement worth 10 billion hryvnia ($262 million) in only the four months he had been in the post. His predecessor, Oleksii Reznikov, resigned in September over scandals that threatened to sap domestic and international confidence in Kyiv. These cases included the dismissal of two senior officials over allegations the ministry had inflated contracts for food supplied to troops, including eggs. In December, a defense ministry official was arrested on suspicions that he embezzled nearly $40 million in the fraudulent purchase of much-needed artillery shells for Ukraine's military. There was also outrage in August over inflated prices for an order of 233,000 jackets for $20m from Turkish firm Vector Avia that were too light and thus useless for the impending winter.
And now, Zelensky again called on the U.S. Congress to approve the vital aid package that has been blocked by Republicans for months. Ukraine's forces are facing new onslaughts from Russian troops in the east and daily attacks on cities and infrastructure from Russian missiles and drones.
Zelensky posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Iran's actions threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia's actions threaten a larger conflict, and the obvious collaboration between the two regimes in spreading terror must face a resolute and united response from the world."
We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.
Meanwhile, according to Iran, the barrage was in retaliation for the "Zionist regime's numerous crimes, including the attack on the consular section of Iran's Embassy in Damascus." A presumed Israeli airstrike destroyed Iran's consulate in Damascus, Syria on April 1. The attack left seven officers of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force dead, including two high-ranking generals.
In a separate social media post on Sunday, Zelensky said: "Ukraine condemns Iran's attack on Israel." The Ukrainian head of state added that his compatriots "know very well the horror of similar attacks by Russia, which uses the same Shahid drones and Russian missiles, the same tactics of mass air strikes." In his latest statement, Zelensky accused Iran of posing a threat to the Middle East, claiming that there is "obvious collaboration" between Tehran and Moscow. (Related: Zelensky complains about the West "turning a blind eye" toward Ukraine.)
Kyiv and its Western backers have repeatedly claimed that Iran has been providing Russia with its kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles and that Moscow has begun producing them under license. Iran admitted in November 2022 that it had supplied Moscow with a "small number" of drones a few months before Russia began its operation in Ukraine.
Responding to a call by Israel's ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin to condemn Tehran’s actions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that Israel has never once denounced Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian civilians. On the contrary, Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed support for Kyiv, the diplomat noted, suggesting that Moscow therefore has no reason to stick up for Israel. According to the Ukrainian leader, Iranian strikes on Israel on Saturday should serve as a "wake-up call to the free world," which needs to deliver a "resolute and united response."
Reports: Iran supplies thousands of drones to Russia
Iran has supplied thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia throughout its invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. They have been used to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses and hit infrastructure far from the front lines.
Zelensky for months has urged Ukraine's Western allies, particularly the United States, to summon the "political will" to provide the air defenses and weaponry Ukraine needs. He commented on Saturday that Germany could supply a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system and air defense missiles to Ukraine at a "critical time." "And when Ukraine says allies cannot turn a blind eye to Russian missiles and drones, it means that it is necessary to act, and act strongly," Zelensky posted on X. Ukraine's skies, he added, were "not protected by rhetoric." "And the fact that we in Ukraine have been waiting months for a vital support package – the fact that we are still waiting for a vote in Congress – testifies to the fact that the confidence of terrorists has also been growing for months," he said.
Head over to UkraineWitness.com for stories related to the current situation in Ukraine as well as its president's state of mind.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.
