Nournews, citing an informed source, said on January 31 that if the hostile statements by the adviser to the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, against Iran are not corrected by the official authorities of this country, it can lead to different reactions by Iran.
Referring to Iran's principled position towards the war in Ukraine and repeatedly emphasizing the necessity of stopping the military conflict and resolving the conflict through dialogue, the source said: "While the government of Ukraine has accused Iran of providing arms support to Russia during the Ukraine war by inciting its Western partners based on false statements, it has not yet been able to provide any documents to prove its claim."
Referring to Iran's repeated pursuits to hold a joint meeting with the Ukrainian side, this informed official said: "In the last joint meeting held between the political and military experts of the two countries in Qatar, the Ukrainian side did not present any documents to prove the claim of Iran's arms support to Russia, and it was agreed that the documents will be presented in the next meetings."
The source reportedly considered the implied acceptance of Ukraine's involvement in attacking several small UAVs on a facility of the Ministry of Defense in Isfahan by Zelensky's adviser, as a responsible and legal admission and emphasized: "Ukraine's emphasis on the threat to Iran's national security can be the basis for examining the change of positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the war in Ukraine and adopting a new approach that is appropriate to the behavior of the Kyiv government."
Tasnim news agency reported on January 31 that the director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s political department for Eurasia on January 30 summoned the charge d’affaires of Ukraine’s embassy in Tehran in protest at the “outlandish and biased” comments that a Ukrainian presidential adviser has made about the recent terrorist attack against a military site in Isfahan.
The Ukrainian diplomat reportedly was given an official letter of protest and was urged to ask for the Ukrainian government’s official and immediate explanation.
The Ukrainian charge d’affaires expressed hope that the Ukrainian authorities would not repeat such comments, saying he will convey Iran’s protest to his government immediately and submit the response to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to Tasnim news agency.
On January 29, Mykhailo Podolyak reportedly took to Twitter to mock Iran after a recent drone attack on a military facility in Isfahan, saying that "Ukraine did warn you."
“War logic is inexorable & murderous. It bills the authors & accomplices strictly. Panic in RF – endless mobilization, missile defense in Moscow, trenches 1000 km away, bomb shelters preparation. Explosive night in Iran – drone and missile production, oil refineries. Ukraine did warn you,” he said.
Recall, Iran’s Defense Ministry announced on January 29 that the country's air defense units have foiled a drone attack on a defense industrial complex in the central province of Isfahan. The explosion reportedly left some damage, but fortunately there were no casualties.
According to Iran’s Defense Ministry, there was an unsuccessful attack by small drones; one of them struck, while the air defense system of the complex was able to destroy two other drones.
Mykhailo Podolyak (born February 16, 1972) is a Ukrainian politician, journalist and negotiator, serving as the adviser to the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Podolyak spent his childhood in Lviv and Novovolynsk.
From 1989, he lived in Belarus, and graduated from the Minsk Medical Institute. In 2004, Podolyak was deputy editor-in-chief of the opposition Belarusian newspaper Vremya. In June 2004, he was deported from Belarus. The Belarusian authorities accused him that his activities "contradict the interests of state security", and the materials contain "slanderous fabrications about the real situation in the country, calls to destabilize the political situation in Belarus."
In Ukraine, Podolyak was the editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Hazeta in 2005. In December 2011, he became the editor-in-chief of Ukrainian internet publication, Obozrevatel.
In April 2020, Podolyak became an adviser to Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, and an “anti-crisis manager” of the Office. He reportedly controls the entire information policy of the Office of the President and advises Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly. In addition, he prepares ministers of the Ukrainian government for broadcasts in the media so that their theses are coordinated with the content promoted by the president.
