Zelenskyy says Russia is helping Iran target U.S. bases
Zelenskyy says Ukraine will give the U.S. evidence that Russian satellite images are aiding Iranian strikes on American bases.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia is helping Iran target U.S. bases in the Middle East by supplying satellite imagery, and he said Ukraine will send evidence to Washington.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has tracked Russian satellite surveillance since the start of July over Gulf states and U.S. military facilities in the region. He alleged that the images later reach Iran and match the timing of Iranian strikes, including planning before attacks and damage checks afterward.
What did Zelenskyy say about Russian satellite images?
Zelenskyy pointed to July 19 and 20, saying four air bases were inside areas watched by Russian satellites: two in Bahrain, one in Jordan and one in Kuwait. He said the purpose was clear and urged more pressure on Russia.
Satellite imagery can help identify military facilities, aircraft, equipment and damage after an attack. Zelenskyy did not publish the evidence in his X post, but said it would be shared with the United States.
The accusation follows earlier reporting by CBS News. Six days into the Iran war, CBS News reported, citing multiple sources including a senior U.S. official with direct knowledge, that Russia was giving Iran intelligence about U.S. positions in the Middle East.
CBS News reported that the allegation has continued to surface in media reports in recent months, with China also sometimes named as possibly involved.
How have U.S. officials responded?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked at a Capitol Hill hearing earlier this week whether Russia and China were helping Iran. He did not give a detailed public answer, saying the depth of the matter should remain classified, but he said there was “definitely adversary alignment” and that both countries were enabling some Iranian activity at different levels.
President Trump later contradicted that view in a Truth Social post. He wrote that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin had assured him they were not involved, and said that, in his opinion, the two countries were not participating.
Trump added that if they were involved, it would be “very bad for them” and not in their interests.
What is known about U.S. casualties?
CBS News reported that 18 American service members are believed to have been killed since the start of the Iran war. That figure includes four U.S. soldiers in recent days: three in an Iranian attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and one during a controlled demolition of an Iranian drone in Iraq.
Earlier in the conflict, six U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian strike on an installation in Kuwait in March, according to CBS News. Six more died the same month when a refueling plane crashed in Iraq, and one was killed in an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. officials told CBS News last week that nearly 100 American service members have been injured in multiple Iranian airstrikes on bases in the Middle East this month.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.