The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) Kyrylo Budanov told to "Ukraiinska Pravda" ["Ukrainian Truth"] in an interview that there is a Russian trace in the Hamas attack on Israel.
Ukrainian intelligence learned that the Russians had handed over trophy Ukrainian weapons to the militants, mostly for infantry. There is also information that weapons were also provided to Hezbollah, but they have yet to be verified.
Videos of FPV drones being used against armored vehicles in the war in Israel are circulating on social networks. According to Budanov, this is a natural tactic for our region, but not for the Middle East.
"This is the know-how of our war after all. No one other than people who passed through our theater of war could do such a thing. Since we were not there, it means it was the Russians," he explained.
About a week before the start of the war in Lebanon, the Russian propaganda media "Sputnik" was launched in Arabic. And on September 24, Russia moved its spacecraft, which can conduct electronic reconnaissance and intercept satellite signals, to Israelʼs geostationary orbit.
Also, from September 22 to 24, a Russian military delegation visited Iran, which supports Hamas.
"We know that there were several, letʼs say, wishes from the Iranian side. One of them concerned the expansion of intelligence capabilities. It is now clear what kind of intelligence the Russians began to provide to all interested parties. I emphasize that it is not only Iran, but all interested parties," Kyrylo Budanov summarized.
- Hamas militants attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, announcing the start of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation. They launched rocket attacks and broke into the border areas in the south of Israel, killing civilians, soldiers and taking hostages. At least 560 people were executed or shot.
- The Israel Defense Forces responded by launching massive strikes on the Gaza Strip, launching Operation Iron Swords. On October 8, Israel officially declared war and effectively declared that it would destroy both Hamas and the Gaza Strip.
- The UN already records war crimes on both sides.