Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russian reconnaissance satellites recently imaged key US and allied military facilities in the Middle East, raising concerns about possible targets, after returning from a high-stakes trip to Gulf states now under attack by Iran.
Zelenskyy’s comments come as Ukraine deepens its role in the region and shares intelligence and defense expertise with Middle Eastern partners facing Iranian missile and drone attacks.
In a March 28 post on
“Everyone knows that repeated reconnaissance indicates preparations for strikes,” he wrote.
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A satellite image from Planet Labs shows a plume of smoke over Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2026. (Planet Labs PBC)
According to Zelenskyy, the surveillance took place over several days in late March. On March 24, Russian satellites reportedly captured images of the US-British military facility at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The following days include Kuwait International Airport and parts of the Greater Burgan oil field, as well as Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Other locations imaged on March 26 included the Shaybah oil and gas field in Saudi Arabia, Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the largest US military installations in the region.
Some of the locations identified by Zelenskyy, including places in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, have been targeted in recent Iranian attacks, although it remains unclear whether the satellite images he described were used directly in those operations.
The warning follows Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, where he discussed security cooperation and shared intelligence with regional leaders.
Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, passenger terminal. (US Air Force)
In an interview published by Axios on Monday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had provided Middle Eastern partners with information about Russian support for Iran, including possible targeted aid.
“I think Russia supports Iran directly and 100%,” Zelensky told Axios. “The same format for sharing satellite images as in the case of Ukraine.”
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Ksenia Svetlova, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said recent developments point to greater collaboration in that area. “There is more cooperation in everything related to intelligence,” she said, citing reports that Russia has provided Iran with “a list of targets, basically through their satellites, American targets, but also air targets in the Gulf.”
Svetlova added that such support allows Russia to help Iran without deploying troops or equipment.
“They are doing what they can for the Iranians without spending money, spending troops or spending equipment,” she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)
The White House has not confirmed the intelligence exchange but said it would not impact U.S. operations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also downplayed concerns about Russia’s role, telling reporters on Friday: “There is nothing that Russia does for Iran that in any way hinders or affects our operation or its effectiveness.”
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Foreign workers watch a tall plume of black smoke rise after an explosion in Fujairah’s industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbors since February 28, following the US-Israeli strike, forced the UAE to close its airspace, blinding travelers who thought they were heading to one of the safest holiday destinations in the region. (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
Lt. Gen. Richard Newton (ret.), former assistant vice chief of the U.S. Air Force, said the reports should not come as a surprise.
“The latest reports that Russia has provided vital imaging information to the Iranian regime to attack a US air base in Saudi Arabia should surprise no one. Putin is our adversary who cannot be trusted.”
“We must avoid direct conflict with Moscow,” he added, “but there must be consequences for Russia supporting and encouraging the Iranian regime, which is harming American military personnel and our assets.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) attend a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Chancellery in Warsaw, Poland, January 15, 2025. (Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters)
“There is no clearer signal that Russia is a dangerous adversary than the continued reporting that Russia is providing intelligence targeting Americans to a regime currently engaged in a battle against the United States,” Filipetti said.
“The lives of American service members are in constant danger because of Putin’s war machine,” she added, warning that Washington must act to “hold the Russian regime accountable and prevent future American deaths.”
US Army soldiers train at al-Asad air base. The base is in western Iraq. (Source: US Army)
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Zelensky has also questioned ongoing discussions about easing sanctions on Russia.
“Pressure must be exerted on the aggressor. And lifting sanctions is certainly not pressure,” he wrote.
