Ukraine Attacks Iranian Ship in the Caspian | NYT

Ukraine struck an Iranian-flagged ship in the Caspian Sea this past weekend, as reported by Constant Méheut and Qasim Nauman of the New York Times. Kyiv claimed the ship was carrying military equipment bound for Russian forces; Iranian leadership vehemently denied the claims in a series of talks with EU and Ukrainian leadership following the incident. 

Whether or not the Ukrainian claim is accurate, the attack brings to the fore the links which have tied the two conflicts for several years. These links are not limited to one side. They include the exchange of drone and missile technology between Iran and Russia and Ukraine’s exchange of drone-defense know-how for critical missile interceptors from the Gulf. 

The point?

You already had Iranian drones hitting Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian expertise helping defend targets of Iran’s counterattacks in its war. So yes, the wars have already converged; this is just another, albeit overt, example. 

While you’re here… 

Read our March Discourse on Ukraine’s exportation of drone defense expertise in the heat of the Iran War: “Ukrainian Air Defense Expertise: A Global Commodity.”