Ukraine recognized the IRGC as a terrorist organization – Zelensky

Ukraine has taken a step that directly affects the security not only of Eastern Europe but also of the Middle East. The country’s authorities have recognized the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization — at the state level and without reservations.

Now it would be “decent” for Israel to recognize Putin as a war criminal and the Russian regime as terrorist.

Well?

The decision was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky in an evening address on February 2, 2026. Simultaneously, the IRGC was included in the official list of terrorist organizations by the Security Service of Ukraine. The wording is crystal clear: for Kyiv, the matter is closed.

This decision has not only legal but also political dimensions. The IRGC is a key power structure of the Iranian regime, responsible for external operations, support of proxy groups, and the export of armed violence beyond Iran. In the Ukrainian context, it primarily concerns the supply of “Shahed” drones used against cities and civilian infrastructure.

In the midst of the discussion, the broader context cannot be ignored: Kyiv’s position increasingly aligns with what is being discussed more loudly in Europe. The European Union has already agreed on a political decision to recognize one of the key structures of the Iranian regime as terrorist; formal procedures are currently ongoing. Unlike Brussels, Ukraine has completed these procedures.

At this point, it is important to fix the meaning of what is happening for the Israeli and regional audience: NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency has repeatedly written that the Iranian terror infrastructure is a unified system working simultaneously against Ukraine, Israel, and the West as a whole. Kyiv has now legally reinforced this assessment.

Below is the full translation of the direct speech of the President of Ukraine, published on the official website of the head of state.

Volodymyr Zelensky:

“And one more thing.

Ukraine supports the peoples who value freedom and are truly ready to fight for it. The whole world sees what is happening in Iran, how many murders are being committed, and how the Iranian regime has invested in spreading war and violence in the region and the world.

Ukraine will not forget any of the thousands of ‘Shaheds’ that strike our cities and villages, our people. We see how others in Europe have heard the issue of Iran and us, Ukraine, and those Europeans who called for more activity, more principledness, and the Iranians themselves.

The decision of the European Union to recognize one of the main organizations of the regime in Iran — the so-called Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — as terrorist is practically agreed upon. European procedures are ongoing.

We in Ukraine have already made such a decision and have already recognized this organization as terrorist, and for us, this issue is closed.

All terrorists in the world deserve the same treatment and condemnation — none should win.

Thank you to everyone who helps protect life! Thank you to everyone who is with Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!”

From a geopolitical perspective, this decision places Ukraine alongside countries and institutions that are no longer willing to separate “regional conflicts” from the global architecture of terror. In Kyiv, the IRGC is viewed not as an abstract Iranian structure but as a direct participant in the war.

For Israel, this step has separate significance. The Iranian regime and its power structures have long been perceived here as an existential threat. The factual convergence of Kyiv and Jerusalem’s positions on the IRGC strengthens the international legitimacy of a tough approach to Tehran.

Ukraine has made it clear: there will be no compromises on the issue of terror. Neither in geography, political convenience, nor formal statuses.