https://x.com/GetTheDailyDirt/status/2031047035403542897
GLOBAL NEWS: American munitions striking Iran have unraveled a critical Russia-Iran alliance, directly impacting Russia's war in Ukraine.
ON RUSSIANS FIVE YEAR EUROPEAN INVASION: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy endorsed the action saying that American munitions striking Iranian soil have dramatically reshaped the global geopolitical landscape, immediately unraveling a critical strategic alliance and directly impacting Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Within hours of the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explicitly endorsed the action, labeling Iran “Putin’s accomplice” and highlighting the over 57,000 Iranian-supplied drone attacks his nation has endured.
He underscored that American resolve against global criminals like Iran weakens them, a message he hopes resonates with Moscow.
Iran has been a pivotal enabler of Russia’s war, providing not only its infamous Shahed drones, which have terrorized Ukrainian civilians since 2022, but also the blueprints for their manufacture.
This enabled Russia to industrialize its own drone production, churning out up to 1,000 modified Geran drones daily.
Beyond drones, Iran supplied over $4 billion in ballistic missiles, surface-to-air systems, and artillery shells, replenishing Russian stockpiles. In return, Russia offered advanced air defense systems, fighter jets, nuclear reactor construction, and diplomatic cover.
This military, nuclear, financial, and diplomatic axis, formalized in early 2024, has now “crumbled in spectacular fashion” due to the U.S. action.
Russian Foreign Minister Dimitry Peskov even stated Russia would not honor its defense agreement, citing the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.
This U.S. campaign, expected to last weeks, severely compromises Iran’s capacity to supply further ballistic missiles and upgrade drone designs.
Crucially, any Russian assets diverted to protect a weakened Iran are assets unavailable for its war in Ukraine.
This creates a powerful new form of pressure on Russia, disrupting the supply chains and partnership networks that have sustained its war effort.
For Ukrainians fighting for their survival, the increased complexity for Russia’s war calculus is a significant and welcome development.
The ongoing military strikes against Iran, launched on February 28, 2026, by the United States and Israel, have significantly strained the Russia-Iran alliance and created new strategic opportunities for Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally endorsed the action and offered new Battle tested technologies Ukraine developed to disrupt Iranian drones strikes against USA bases
Trump's Attack On Iran Has Significant Impacts on the Russia-Iran Alliance
- Infrastructure Disruption: The air campaign has targeted critical nodes of the North-South trade corridor, a vital route Russia uses to bypass sanctions and sustain its war effort. This has rendered many of the route's branches unviable, throwing modernization plans "out the window".
- Military Industrial Base: Strikes have focused on Iranian defense industrial sites, specifically those manufacturing Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. Officials report that Iranian ballistic missile attacks have already declined by approximately 90% since the operation began.
- Intelligence Sharing: In a sign of continued but stressed cooperation, Russia has reportedly provided Iran with targeting information on American warships and aircraft in the Persian Gulf.
Ukraine's Strategic Role
- Endorsement and Solidarity: Zelenskyy stated that "American resolve" brings results and expressed hope that the strikes would give the Iranian people a chance to "rid themselves of a terrorist regime".
- Exporting Expertise: Ironically, the U.S. and several Middle Eastern nations (including Saudi Arabia and the UAE) have requested Ukrainian expertise in countering Shahed drones. Zelenskyy has directed teams of specialists to provide on-site support to these partners.
- Diplomatic Leverage: Ukraine is using this moment to explore "exchanging" its drone-intercepting technology for high-end Patriot air defense systems from Gulf partners or the U.S..
Key Developments as of March 9, 2026
- Leadership Vacuum: The initial strikes reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; as of today, supporters have gathered in Tehran to support his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.
- Civilian Casualties: Investigations are ongoing into a deadly strike on a school in Minab on February 28, with evidence suggesting an American Tomahawk missile may have hit a nearby target, causing significant collateral damage.
- Regional Retaliation: Iran and its proxies have retaliated with strikes against U.S. bases and allies in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy endorsed the U.S. strikes on Iran, calling Iran "Putin's accomplice" and highlighting that Ukraine has endured over 57,000 Iranian-supplied drone attacks since 2022.
The American strikes have significantly disrupted the Russia-Iran military alliance, which had become a cornerstone of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
Iran’s support for Russia included supplying Shahed drones and manufacturing blueprints, enabling Russia to produce thousands of Geran drones daily—used extensively to target Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
By early 2023, Iran had signed a $1.75 billion contract to expand this drone cooperation, and total weapons transfers exceeded $4 billion, including ballistic missiles and artillery shells.
The U.S. campaign has degraded Iran’s ability to supply advanced weapons and components, weakening a key logistical pillar for Russia.
With Iran now facing military pressure, Russia may be forced to divert resources—such as air defense systems or fighter jets—to support its ally, further straining its war capacity in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy emphasized that American resolve weakens global aggressors, stating, “Whenever there is American resolve, global criminals weaken.”
While the U.S. strikes were not explicitly aimed at aiding Ukraine, their effect indirectly benefits Kyiv by undermining a critical Russian supply chain and fracturing an axis of mutual military support.
However, risks remain: a prolonged U.S. conflict in the Middle East could divert American weapons and attention away from Ukraine, potentially reducing the flow of critical munitions like **PAC-3 Patriot interceptors**.
Still, the unraveling of the Russia-Iran partnership marks a strategic setback for Moscow.
The long-range version of the Shahed drone, known as the 136, can travel roughly 1,200 miles, which makes it capable of reaching targets across the Middle East. The Iran's $20,000 Shahed Drones Swarm Past $4 Million USA manufactured air defense missiles. Fuel-efficient engine + modest radar evasion capacities + a 40-50kg warhead make Iran's Shahed-series 'kamikaze' drones a low-cost terror that can be mass produced.
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Iran is waging a mass drone campaign across the Middle East, unleashing waves of low-cost, one-way attack drones also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), against Western-linked targets. Iran’s drone swarm attacks unleash ‘exponential costs’ on US, prolonging war: ''symmetric capability". Thousands of Shahed-class drones are being used against various US and Israeli sites in the Middle East.
