The two wars the world watches as separate events are clearly watching each other rather closely. Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is using satellites to photograph American military bases in the Middle East and passing the collected data to Iran - both before and after attacks.

The Ukrainian president announced he will instruct Ukrainian intelligence services to hand over the evidence of alleged Russian assistance to Iranian forces to Kyiv's allies.

„I will instruct the intelligence services to pass on to our partners the information we have about the new assistance Russia is providing to the Iranian regime. Since the beginning of July we have observed Russia actively conducting satellite imaging of the territories of the Gulf states and the American military facilities located there. Such images later end up in Iran”, Zelensky said in an address carried by Ukrinform.

Imaging before the strike, damage assessment after

According to him, Ukrainian services established a clear link between the moment Russian satellites photograph American facilities and Iranian attacks on those same locations. Zelensky claims the imaging is carried out before the attacks, to prepare them, and also after the strikes, so the Iranian side can assess the damage caused.

„On 19 and 20 July alone, four air bases fell within the area of interest of Russian satellites - two in Bahrain and one each in Jordan and Kuwait. It is clear why. We all live in the same world and we must not close our eyes to one very simple thing - evil always looks for a way to become worse and to spread”, Zelensky stressed.

During July, Iran carried out several missile and drone attacks on American military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. The attacks followed as a response to American strikes on Iranian territory.

Zelensky asks for Patriot missiles again

The Ukrainian president said Russia and the war must be stopped, once again asking Western states for additional missiles for Patriot air defence systems.

„Air defence missiles, above all for the Patriot systems, can save thousands upon thousands of lives. Every partner who can help should know that behind every decision and every pause in deliveries there are human lives”, Zelensky said.

He announced that if Ukraine gains the ability to produce Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles on its own territory, it will use them to help other states in need of protection as well.

One request, two fronts, the same warehouse

This is where the two stories overlap at the most uncomfortable possible point. The same Patriot interceptors Zelensky is requesting for Kyiv are the ones American generals warned Trump are being drained in the Middle East. One warehouse, two wars, and allies queuing at the same door.

„Everyone who is now helping Russia continue this war will have to answer for it, including for all its global consequences”, Zelensky concluded. The sentence is right in its intent, but answering for something assumes somebody doing the judging. And so far, behind all these satellite images and handed-over coordinates, nobody has answered for anything.