KRG denies reports of Ukrainian drones, military presence in Kurdistan Region

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday “categorically” denied reports that Ukraine had deployed drones or military personnel in the Kurdistan Region, dismissing the allegations as “false and baseless,” a day after Kyiv rejected similar claims made by Iranian media.

In a statement, the KRG’s interior ministry rejected “all rumors and reports circulated by several media outlets alleging the presence of Ukrainian drones, military forces or units on the territory of the Kurdistan Region,” stressing that the allegations were entirely unfounded.

The ministry reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to neutrality in regional and international conflicts, stressing that its territory would not be used to launch attacks against other countries.

The statement follows allegations published Tuesday by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, which cited an unnamed security source claiming that Ukraine had deployed “thousands of micro-drones in the Kurdistan Region.”

The source further alleged that Kyiv had established an operational network of micro-drones in several countries neighboring Iran, without providing publicly verifiable evidence to substantiate the claims.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s embassy in Baghdad rejected the allegations, describing them as “completely baseless” and “deliberate disinformation.”

“These allegations are entirely unfounded and amount to deliberate disinformation. Ukraine has not deployed any drones, drone units or related personnel in the Kurdistan Region or anywhere else in Iraq,” the embassy said.

The allegations come amid heightened tensions involving Iran and Ukraine, whose relations have deteriorated over Tehran’s military support for Russia in its war against Kyiv.

Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed attack drones used against Ukrainian targets, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow in July of sharing satellite imagery of Gulf countries and US military facilities with Tehran to support attacks during the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The Kurdistan Region has repeatedly emphasized its neutrality in the regional conflict despite facing more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks by Iran and Tehran-aligned Iraqi armed groups since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.