President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian military personnel shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, describing the operations as part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.

Easter festivities are muted in Kharkiv as Ukrainians expect fighting to flare up again after a weekend truce.

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin and Zelensky agree to Easter ceasefire while Moscow loses 1,100 troops in a day - Kyiv and Moscow decide not to trade attacks from tomorrow evening to Sunday midnight

By Michael Kahn, Supantha Mukherjee and Tom Balmforth PRAGUE/STOCKHOLM/LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - Specialist mini jet engine makers across Europe are ramping up production and investment to head off a looming supply shortage that threatens to hold back Ukraine's rapid deep-strike drone programme at a critical stage of the war with Russia.

Ukraine’s interceptors and electronic warfare were used to shoot down Iranian Shahed drones in the Gulf, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian president hailed the “positive outcome” of sending Kyiv’s military experts to several countries across the Middle East to help with air defence during the Iran war.

Amid the Iran War, Ukraine has forged defense deals with countries in the Middle East while U.S. military aid has dropped and Hungary has blocked a €90 billion EU loan.

Ukraine's war has forced the country to become a trailblazer in drone interception. The conflict in the Middle East could be its make-or-break moment to take the technology global.

Russia's early performance in Ukraine led many to underestimate its air force, but it's been learning and getting stronger, air warfare experts say.