Could Gulf states learn from Ukraine's drone revolution?

Could Gulf states learn from Ukraine's drone revolution? Submitted by Omar Ashour on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 23:15 As Iran targets US interests in regional countries, Kyiv's ongoing defensive efforts against Russia offer a blueprint for battlefield adaptation An interceptor drone used to protect against Russian drone attacks is pictured at an undisclosed location near the front lines of eastern Ukraine, on 9 October 2025 (Ed Jones/AFP) On In the first year of Russia ’s full‑scale invasion, I argued that the under‑noticed defence inventories of the so‑called Global South still held Soviet‑legacy systems and calibres that could be repurposed for Ukraine’s immediate defence - less a grand strategy than a stopgap for force generation while western industry caught up. That argument rested on a simple fear harboured by every strategic planner: in an attritional fight, what matters is not only what you own on paper, but how quickly you can turn stocks into sorties, and procurement into sustained combat power.