In the last days a news circulated that maybe did not receive enough attention. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked for a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to talk about Ukraine’s experience in defending itself from Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia.

At first glance this can look like a purely technical discussion about military systems. But actually it tells something much bigger about the wars that are shaping our time.

Israel and Ukraine, even if they are thousands of kilometers apart, are confronting parts of the same strategic problem: the expansion of Iranian military technology and its use by authoritarian regimes against democratic societies.

This is the context in which cooperation between Kyiv and Jerusalem is starting to grow.

The drone war: how Ukraine became a military laboratory

Since autumn 2022, Russia has launched thousands of Shahed drones against Ukrainian cities, energy infrastructure and power grids.

These drones, which are relatively cheap but difficult to intercept, have forced Kyiv to completely reinvent its air defence.

In just a few years, Ukraine has developed a true multilevel anti-drone doctrine, which combines:

• conventional air defence missiles
• electronic warfare and jamming
• small arms and mobile machine guns
• Low-cost interceptor drones

One of the most interesting systems is the Sting interceptor drone, designed to destroy Shahed in flight. The impressive figure is the cost ratio:

• a Sting drone costs around $2,100
• a Shahed drone costs around USD 30-35,000

This means that Ukraine has found a relatively cheap way to counter one of the main tools of Iranian strategy.

According to military data cited in 2025, these interceptors destroyed thousands of Russian-Iranian drones, becoming one of the symbols of Ukrainian military innovation.

It is no exaggeration to say that Ukraine is now the country with the most operational experience in the world in defence against the Shahed.

From Europe to the Middle East: the Ukrainian experience required by the allies

In recent months, this experience has started to attract the attention of other countries.

Indeed, the Ukrainian government has sent teams of experts and anti-drone systems to several Middle Eastern countries and even to Western military bases to share its know-how.

According to official statements by Zelensky:

• Ukrainian technicians were sent to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia
• Specialised teams helped protect US military bases in Jordan

The reason is simple: the same Iranian drones used against Ukraine are increasingly appearing in conflicts in the Middle East.

And for this very reason, Israel also looks to Kyiv.

Israel and Ukraine: an emerging strategic cooperation

The possible dialogue between Netanyahu and Zelensky stems from this military reality.

Israel is one of the world’s most advanced powers in air defence – just think of the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems – but the problem of cheap kamikaze drones is different from that of conventional missiles.

Intercepting a swarm of drones costing a few tens of thousands of dollars with missiles costing hundreds of thousands is not sustainable in the long run.

Ukraine, on the other hand, has developed cheaper and more scalable solutions, precisely because it was forced to do so.

That is why Israel is watching closely:

• interception systems with FPV drones
• electronic warfare techniques developed in the field
• acoustic detection systems such as Sky Fortress, capable of detecting low-flying drones by means of sensors distributed over the territory

This cooperation is not only theoretical. Several military analysts point out that demand for Ukrainian anti-drone technology is exploding among Western and Middle Eastern allies.

Two nations fighting for the same thing

In the end, cooperation between Israel and Ukraine is not only about technology or military innovation.

It is also about something more fundamental.

Ukraine is fighting to preserve its sovereignty and independence against Russian imperial aggression. Israel is defending its security and its very existence against a network of hostile actors supported by Iran.

Different wars, different contexts — but a similar determination.

Both societies are democratic and deeply connected to the Western world. Both have discovered that freedom sometimes must be defended not only with words or ideals, but also with resilience, innovation and alliances.

And today, between the skies above Kyiv and those above the Middle East, that shared struggle is becoming more visible.