Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian satellites photographed U.S. and Middle Eastern military and energy sites in late March, and he reads it as a sign of strike planning.
He spoke to journalists on March 28, as Ukrinform reported. Zelenskyy said he gets daily intelligence briefings from Ukrainian agencies, and he gave a list of what they recorded. Russian imaging took place on March 20 and March 23. On March 26, he said, the targets were the Shaybah oil field in Saudi Arabia, Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and “something in the city of Haifa,” where he said Ukraine lacks precise information.
He also said Russian satellites had captured the U.S.-U.K. base on Diego Garcia, along with airports and oil fields in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
“There are no Ukrainian facilities on this list,” Zelenskyy said.
Sanctions and the “third image”
Zelenskyy used the claim to argue against easing sanctions on Russia. “It looks strange, frankly: sanctions are being lifted, while the aggressor is sharing information to strike targets,” he said. “People can draw their own conclusions.”
He drew on what Ukraine sees at home. “Everyone understands why the first image is taken, why a second follows, and what a third means. It means a strike will follow,” he said. In Ukraine, he added, such imaging means the sites in question must be protected.
The Ukrainian leader offered no public proof of the March imaging beyond his account of the briefings.
Earlier reports on Russia and Iran
Zelenskyy said on March 23, after a briefing from Defense Intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko, that Ukraine has “irrefutable evidence” Russia keeps sharing intelligence with Iran.
Other outlets have reported on the same theme. The Washington Post reported on March 6, citing sources, that Russia gave Iran information on the location of U.S. military ships and aircraft in the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal reported on March 18 that Moscow is widening military cooperation with Tehran, including by supplying satellite imagery and advanced drone technology. U.S. President Donald Trump has also acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be helping Iran in the region.
